Hatchling
by gwendy
Summary: Rey's leads a predictable life as a general labourer at Niima Junkyard until an unexpected visit from the daughter she doesn't even know exists turns her world into a tailspin. A Reylo family story with a twist
1. Chapter 1

Her life was trapped in a predictable routine.

Every day for the last eight years, she would wake up at five in the morning, shower and dress by five thirty, prepare and finish her usual breakfast of oats and milk by six before hopping on to her red jalopy work truck and driving down to her job as a general labourer at Niima Junkyard. Her twelve-hour work shift would then be spent inspecting and sorting scraps and parts, operating mechanized equipment and performing any other tasks as assigned. That last part was her least favourite, because more often than not, it forced her to interact with the junkyard boss Unkar Plutt—a fifty-something obese man with questionable hygiene and even more questionable work ethics. More than once, she'd seen him ogling at her while she worked, and he would ask her to bring him his morning coffee every day, even though he had a secretary who could do just that. But other than the occasional brush of the fingers when she handed him his cup and those beady eyes which seemed to burn through her clothes, he hadn't done anything to her which would hold up in court—yet. And hopefully, it stayed that way. The last thing she needed was to have to deal with lawyer fees.

Rey sighed as she took off her hard hat and shoved it into her work locker, her eyes instantly on the photo of herself and her grandfather she had taped to the inside of the locker door. Looking at the photo at the end of her shift was also part of her routine, as was reaching out to touch it and trace the smile on her grandfather's face. It had been one of the last photos she had of Ben Kenobi when he was still in the pink of health, right before cancer ravaged his body. She had done everything she could, took several jobs including this labourer job in Niima Junkyard to shoulder the medical bills but it hadn't been enough. The only consolation she had was that it brought her a few months more with her grandfather, more than what the doctors had predicted.

Changing from her work overalls and into a white shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, she hopped back into her truck and headed for home, her thoughts already on the mac n cheese she planned to cook for dinner that night as she drove through the same, dusty roads of Jakku, past the same neighbourhood of far between houses before reaching her own house. It was small compared to others in town, and it was desperately in need of a paint job but it was home.

Parking the truck by the side of the house, she stepped out of the vehicle and took a moment to look up at the night sky—yet another routine of hers. As always, the stars were out in full glory, uninhibited by light pollution which prevailed in bigger cities.

She turned and walked towards the house, ready to start the day's final routine of dinner, a little bit of TV, then sleep—until she saw a little girl standing on the porch.

"Well, this is new," Rey thought, watching as the girl's eyes widened at her approach. She almost never had visitors, least of all a girl of...seven? Eight? "Hello there, sweetie. Are you lost?"

The girl opened her mouth but no words came out. Rey was now close enough that she could see the faint freckles over the girl's cute button nose, the speckles of brown over the hazel of her eyes, the chapped skin of her lips, and the large ears hidden beneath waves of waist-length dark hair. She was also quite pale, which, aside from the pink sweater, red pleated skirt, black leggings and boots she wore, told Rey the girl was definitely not from the desert town of Jakku.

Rey beamed the warmest smile she could. Hopefully the girl will feel a bit more at ease, she thought. "Hey, don't worry. I don't bite. If you're lost, I could go and call for help."

"I...I'm not lost. I think," the girl finally spoke, her voice coming out almost in a squeak. "Are you...Rey Kenobi?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Oh my God!" the girl gasped, hands clasped over her mouth. "It's really you!"

"Uhm...yes, it's really me," Rey parroted, brows knitting in confusion. "Am I missing something?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The girl giggled, hands now moving to cup her face, her eyes practically sparkling. "I'm just so happy to finally meet you. You're more beautiful than I could ever have imagined!"

"Well, thank you. That's...sweet of you." Rey shifted her weight from one foot to the other, an uneasy fluttering at the pit of her stomach. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"I'm...uh..." The girl looked away for a moment, her face now flushed pink. "Okay. I don't know how else to say this. And it might shock you, but uhm...I'll just go ahead and say it." She took in a deep breath, looked Rey straight in the eye and said, "I'm your daughter."

Rey blinked and stilled. Any other single twenty-seven-year-old who hadn't had a boyfriend in years would've dropped to the floor laughing. To have a girl show up at your doorstep, claiming to be yours when you'd never even seen the inside of a maternity ward was preposterous. But Rey wasn't any other twenty-seven-year-old. And as her mind raced back to a visit to an egg donor clinic nine years ago, it was all she could do to hold on to the porch's railing before the floor rushed up to meet her.

* * *

A/N: If the plot device is familiar, that's because I got it from an episode of I think that was the last season of Ally Mcbeal. I could never quite forget that plot device of Ally's surprise daughter suddenly showing up at her doorstep and thought it would be a great trope to use for a Reylo AU fic. But the similarities pretty much end there as this story will be its own.


	2. Chapter 2

"This isn't funny, Finn," Rey hissed over the phone as her best friend cackled over the receiver. "I've got an eight-year-old who looks like me in the kitchen right now, cooking mac n' cheese."

"While you're nursing a bump on the head with cold steak," Finn finished. "Seriously? You don't find the situation funny?"

"No. And you wouldn't either if it happened to you," Rey shot back and groaned. She readjusted the steak over where her head had hit the railing. Damn her for forgetting to put in some ice in the fridge.

"Ain't happening to me, peanut. Poe and I are adopting."

"Oh, really? When?"

"Not anytime soon , love." Rey heard a pause from Finn's end of the line before he continued with the same mirthful tone. "Hey, if you don't like the kid, maybe you can have us adopt her."

"You're kidding right?"

"Of course I'm kidding, Rey. She's all yours."

"Apparently, she's not." Rey took a peek in the kitchen and saw the girl—her daughter, she shivered—still stirring a pot of mac n' cheese. She had insisted that Rey rest and that she knew how to cook. By the smell of things, the kid was telling the truth. "She said she lives with her dad but she wouldn't tell me his name or where she lives. Seems she doesn't want to go back."

"She ran away?"

"Most likely." Rey sighed heavily and went back to where she had been lying down earlier on the couch, her headache increasing tenfold when she realized all the trouble she might get into for harboring this girl. "Looks like I'm going to have to try to pry information out of her and get her home ASAP. God forbid, her dad might charge me for kidnapping."

Finn laughed again. It was starting to grate on Rey's nerves. "Well, good luck with that, hon. And hey, I might visit one of these days. You've gotten me really curious about this little Rey spawn."

"You better visit soon." Rey gave a sideways glance at the girl in the kitchen before adding in a low voice, "I'm hoping she won't stay here long. I don't know how to take care of kids."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, peanut," Finn reassured. "You did well back when Poe and I had you take care of BB8 for a while."

Rey rolled her eyes. "Hannah's not a dog."

"Hannah? Is that her name?"

"Yeah. She told me that much at least." Rey chewed on her bottom lip—a nervous habit of hers. "Now I just gotta find a way to trick her into giving me her last name."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Finn said in such a way that inspired confidence, and Rey relaxed once more. "If there's anything you need at all—diapers, baby bottles, baby clothes—just let me know."

"Very funny, Finn." Despite herself, Rey managed a smile. Her best friend always did manage to lighten her moods. "Actually, there is one thing. I seem to recall you mentioning Poe knows this hotshot lawyer. I need to know my rights as well as ways to protect myself in case Hannah's father ends up suing my ass."

"No promises on that, peanut. That hotshot lawyer's a senator now so she's quite busy." Finn was quiet for a moment. "But you're right. I'll see if Poe and I can do something. Meantime, give my love to Hannah."

"And give my love to Poe and BB8." Rey said her goodbyes before ending the call and heading for her small kitchen. Hannah was still cooking. The scene reminded Rey of when she used to cook for her grandfather when she was little. She used to cook a lot for Grandpa Ben back then…

Hannah looked up and beamed a wide smile, her dimples—astonishingly similar to Rey's—deepening on her cheeks. "Hey, Mommy. Dinner's almost ready."

Rey shuddered at the term 'mommy'. "Right. I'll go...set the table."

Putting the steak back in the fridge, Rey hurried to set the table while Hannah carefully took the pot from the stove and poured the mac n' cheese into two bowls.

Once everything was set, the girl plopped on to her seat and began to eat. Rey stared at her for a moment then began to say grace, stopping Hannah mid-eating before she followed suit, hands clasped in quiet prayer until Rey finished.

"I'm sorry," Hannah apologized. "I...we don't really say grace at home. At least, I never saw Daddy do it."

Rey decided she already didn't like Hannah's dad. "My late grandpa taught me food is a blessing, so we should always be thankful."

"Okay, Mommy."

Rey cringed again, and after a few spoonfuls of mac n' cheese, which was surprisingly good, she set her spoon down. "Hannah...maybe it's best...that you don't call me Mommy."

"Oh...why?"

Rey bit her lip. She could see the girl was trying her best not to appear hurt, and so she chose her next words carefully. "It's not that I don't want you to. It's just...I feel like I haven't earned it. I'm almost a stranger. Besides, your mommy might get hurt if you call someone else mommy."

"I don't have a mommy," Hannah informed, making Rey's brows rise to her forehead. "You're my only mommy."

"You mean to say your daddy doesn't have a wife?"

Hannah shook her head, her dark, wavy hair moving from side to side. "Daddy's single. He's never been married."

"But he must have had someone..." Rey hesitated. How in the world was she going to tell this kid about the birds and the bees especially when the situation was more complicated?

"Daddy had a surrogate," Hannah supplied, much to Rey's astonishment. "You gave your egg to the clinic, then they mixed it with Daddy's sperm, then they injected your fertilized egg into the surrogate who then gave birth to me."

Rey opened her mouth to speak, but found she couldn't. At least, not for a good few seconds. "H-How did you..."

"Grandma told me." Hannah helped herself to more of the mac n' cheese before continuing. "I know where babies come from. But I didn't come naturally, that's for sure."

This surprised Rey, and not just because the girl seemed so knowledgeable for her tender age of eight. She had never, in her life, heard of a single unmarried man opting for an egg donor. "If that's the case...your father must have really wanted to have you..."

Hannah sighed. "I wouldn't say Daddy wanted me as much as he needed me."

Rey's brows knitted. "What do you mean?"

Silence. Rey looked up to see Hannah staring at her bowl, her lips tight in a fine line.

After a moment, the girl shook her head and smiled. "How's the mac n' cheese?"

Rey blinked at the sudden change of topic. But she wasn't about to give up on talk about the girl's father yet. "Good. It's good. Did your daddy teach you how to cook?"

"No," Hannah shook her head, her smile disappearing. Already, Rey realized talking about her father upset Hannah. "Daddy isn't around enough to teach me. He's always working."

Ah, Rey thought. Now they were getting somewhere. "Is that why you ran away? Because your daddy doesn't have time for you?"

Rey watched Hannah take a spoonful of mac n' cheese before chewing it slowly. The swallow seemed even slower.

Then, the girl shrugged and carried on eating.

Rey leaned forward, her food already forgotten. "Hannah, sweetie, I'm sure your daddy is only doing what's best for you. Why, he's probably home right now, worried sick about you."

"No he's not." Hannah pouted. "He's never around. He probably won't know I'm gone even when he does get back home."

"Honey, you don't know that."

"Yeah, I do," Hannah replied with conviction. "I've run away before. He didn't even know I was gone for two days until my grandma called him."

Rey found herself tightening her fingers around her utensils. How could a father be so neglectful as to not even notice that his own child was gone? What if something bad had happened to the girl while traveling to Jakku? And by herself no less?

Keeping a sudden bout of anger in check, Rey breathed out and said, "So...where did you go? When you ran away last?"

"To my grandma's." There was warmth in Hannah's voice when she mentioned her grandmother. "She taught me how to cook and take care of myself. But grandma is so busy these days too so I couldn't really go to her."

"And...is that why you decided to go to me instead?" Rey asked.

Hannah seemed to think for a moment. "Yes and no. I mean...I've wanted to meet you ever since I learned about where I came from. Of course Daddy wouldn't tell me about you. It was grandma who tracked you down. For my birthday last year."

If Rey had food in her mouth, she probably would have choked. The girl may be smart for her age, but not knowledgeable enough of legalities surrounding her birth. How could Hannah's grandmother have gotten information about her? How could the clinic give away her personal information? As far as she could recall, her contract had a right to privacy clause! Rey began to wonder if she could sue both the clinic and the grandmother. Unless Hannah's father sued her for kidnapping first...

Seemingly perturbed by the silence, Hannah piped in. "All I wanted for my birthday was to know who you are. Grandma tracked you down for me, and now, I'm here and I'm very happy. You're so beautiful and nice."

Rey's smile was strained. Hannah's smile however was bright, if not adorable. She really did want this, Rey thought. She wanted so badly to meet her mother. How could she take that away from her?

Still...

Rapid knocks at the front door interrupted Rey's musings. She stood up from the table, holding her hand up to Hannah as she did. "Stay here, Hannah. I'll be back."

The knocking continued, even more frantic this time.

"Coming!" Rey called and hurried to the door. As if her night wasn't already exciting enough, she thought sarcastically. "Hold your horses, I'm coming."

Rey reached for the knob and opened the door wide, thinking it was probably one of the neighbors off to borrow some tools again.

She should've known tonight was different from most nights.

There, standing on her porch, was a tall man in a business suit, his dark, wavy hair reaching down to his nape, and combed in such a way as to hide a pair of clearly oversized ears. His eyes—shielded by a pair of rectangular glasses—were dark and intense, his lips curled down to a frown.

"Where is she?" the man asked in a deep baritone, his tone putting Rey on her guard.

Before Rey could respond, the man walked past her and quickly made his way through her small house, reaching the kitchen in no time with his long strides before emerging with a struggling Hannah by his side.

The sight of the girl being dragged by her arm was what finally made Rey speak up. "What do you think you're doing? Let her go!"

Almost on instinct, Rey pulled Hannah away from the man's grasp and positioned herself in front of the girl.

"Just who do you think you are?" the man flared up.

"I should ask you the same thing," Rey fired back. "How dare you barge in here and try to take my daughter away? I should call the cops on you."

"Your dau—" The man trailed off and stared at her for a long while. Astonishment clear in his eyes, he turned to Hannah and shook his head. "Hannah, what have you done?"

Rey blinked and turned to Hannah, who was peeking up at the man from behind her. "Sweetie, do you know this man?"

Hannah said nothing. Only buried her face at the back of Rey's shirt.

"Of course, she knows who I am," the man seethed. "I'm Ben Solo. And I'm Hannah's father."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I'm still feeling the Stormpilot feels so that stays. Besides, it's also for the plot. Hope you guys enjoyed this one. Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Rey stood in her small living room, wincing as Hannah took in her father's verbal lashing. It wasn't as though Hannah didn't deserve it, Rey thought. Mr. Solo had every right to be angry, but she didn't realize how much it would hurt to see the girl being scolded like this.

"I work my ass off just so you could live a good life and this is how you repay me? By running off to some...some stranger?" Mr. Solo fumed.

"She's not a stranger," Hannah said defiantly, even as she sank deeper into the couch she was sitting in. "She's my mommy."

"She's still a stranger," Mr. Solo said through clenched teeth. "You don't know her and I certainly don't know her."

"I know enough." Hannah's voice was insistent, though not as firm as earlier. "Grandma had a background check done on her. She's not a criminal, Daddy."

Rey bit her lip, not quite sure how to take in the sudden news that she had been investigated on. How much did Hannah know about her exactly?

"Did your grandma put you up to this?" Mr. Solo demanded.

Hannah shook her head. "This was all my idea."

"All your idea huh?" Mr. Solo scoffed and ran his hands over his hair, mussing the once perfect waves. "Well, how about this idea then? We're going home. We're going to get out of this hick town and you're going to think about what you've done, you hear me?"

Again, Mr. Solo held Hannah's arm roughly in his grasp. It was more than what Rey could take, and without thinking, she stepped up to block Mr. Solo's way.

"No," she mustered with more courage than she really had.

"No?" Mr. Solo parroted. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean no." Rey shook her head. "An eight-year-old genetic daughter doesn't just suddenly show up at my doorstep and leave just like that. She has chosen to insert herself into my life, and so like it or not, she's a part of it and so are you."

Mr. Solo seemed to freeze in his spot, and Rey had the impression that not many people stood up to him. It took a while for his sagged shoulders to square up again and for his initial shock to evolve into anger.

"You have no parental rights over her," he hissed. "You relinquished that the moment you signed the contract. You're not her mother."

"Yes, she is!" Hannah cried out, and much to Rey's surprise, managed to get away from her father's grip and run towards her, wrapping her arms around her waist. "She's my mommy, Daddy! And I want to stay with her!"

Rey felt her heart lurch up to her throat, her gaze falling to the girl who was still clinging to her side. She hadn't wanted them to leave, but stay?

"Hannah…" Mr. Solo's tone was grave. "Don't make this anymore complicated than it already is."

Hannah didn't reply. But Rey felt the girl tighten her arms around her.

Rey bit the inside of her cheek. A few hours ago, she had just been living her life as normal and now here comes a daughter, bringing with her a whole range of complications. She didn't need this drama any more than she needed a bump on the head. She knew that. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to side with Mr. Solo on this one, and not just because of his attitude.

A ringtone interrupted Rey's musings, and she looked up to see Mr. Solo take out his mobile phone, stare at the screen for a moment before putting the phone against his ear.

"Mother." Mr. Solo's greeting was curt. "Yes, I found her. Her phone's GPS tracker led me all the way to Outer Rim State…Yes, in Jakku…She ran away to her mother."

A long pause. Mr. Solo's expression seemed to turn even grimmer as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, raising his spectacles up to eyebrow-level. "Yes, her biological mother. She says her name is Rey Kenobi…Yes, Kenobi. Now what I'm wondering is how on earth you managed to get that information and how could you give it to Hannah? You know this girl can get some funny ideas—"

Another long pause. From where she was standing, Rey could hear some unintelligible words coming from the phone, followed by a deep sigh from Mr. Solo.

To her surprise, Mr. Solo handed her the phone. "My mother wants to talk to you."

Rey gingerly took the mobile device and stared at it for a second before answering. "Hello?"

She expected anger. She expected a tirade of expletives and maybe even threats.

But she never expected profuse apologies to spill out from the phone.

"Ms. Kenobi, I'm Hannah's grandmother. I'm so, so sorry for all of this. I tracked you down for her because she said she wanted to meet you someday. I never realized she'd actually do this on her own. I really apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you."

"It's okay," Rey assured. "I'm just glad she was able to arrive here safely."

"Really? That's so sweet of you dear." The voice on the phone had the kind of warmth that Rey liked, and all thoughts of taking legal action for intruding upon her privacy slowly flew out the window. "Uhm Ms. Kenobi, you just let us know what you want to do here. You want to get to know us, you want us to go away…you have no obligation. Hannah understands that."

Rey let out a breath, her eyes darting off to Hannah then to Mr. Solo then back to Hannah again.

"I…wouldn't mind getting to know her," Rey blurted out, much to her own surprise, and clearly Mr. Solo's. "She did travel all the way here for me. The least I could do is to maybe…let her and her father stay the night."

The words were out before Rey could stop them. What the hell was she thinking?

"That's a good idea," Hannah's grandmother agreed before Rey could say anything more. "It's getting late anyway. I'd like to talk to my son again, please. Thank you so much, Ms. Kenobi."

Rey said her goodbye and handed the phone to a clearly upset Mr. Solo.

"Mother, what in the world—" Mr. Solo raised a hand to his hair again, curling his fingers in angry fists. "But I've still got work tomorrow…Alright, alright."

Mr. Solo ended the call with a deep breath, threw a glare at Rey before facing his daughter.

"One night," he said. "One night, Hannah, and then we go home. Got that?"

"Yipee!" Hannah jumped off the sofa and wrapped her arms around her father's waist. "Thank you, Daddy!"

"Yeah, yeah," Mr. Solo said grumpily, though for a second, Rey thought she saw the hint of a smile on his full lips.

"You hear that, Rey?" Hannah turned to Rey, a dimpled smile on her face. "We get to stay the night! Isn't it great?"

"Yey," Rey said in a small voice and with an even smaller smile when she saw Mr. Ben Solo's grim expression.

What in the world was she getting herself into?


	4. Chapter 4

Whatever ruckus they had made during their heated exchanges earlier died the moment they sat down for dinner once more. Already Rey realized that Mr. Solo's presence put a damper on Hannah's talkativeness. And as she sat on the table quietly finishing up her bowl of mac n' cheese while stealing glances at the equally quiet father and daughter, she wondered how in the world she was going to break the ice. She wanted to get to know the girl—get to know _her daughter_ —didn't she? So why wasn't she making an effort at small talk?

The clatter of a spoon being set down on the table made Rey look up at Mr. Solo, who had finished eating and was now wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Thank you for the meal, Ms. Kenobi," he said. "It was good."

Rey shook her head. "Please, call me Rey. And it was Hannah who cooked, not me."

"Did she, now?" Mr. Solo threw a glance at Hannah, who grinned back at him.

"Was it really good, Daddy?"

Mr. Solo only nodded, then turned to Rey again. Rey saw Hannah deflate, as though her hopes had been dashed. Rey surmised compliments from her father must be few and far between, so she reached out and patted the girl's hand.

"It's really good, Hannah. Thank you." Rey smiled in earnest. Hannah's smile returned, and Rey pulled her hand back before turning to Mr. Solo again.

"Mr. Solo…"

"Ben."

Rey blinked. "What?"

"Call me Ben," Mr. Solo continued, frowning. "Only my employees call me Mr. Solo."

"Okay…Ben." The name sounded thick in her mouth, and Rey found it hard to swallow. It wasn't just weird that he shared the same name as her late grandfather; she also wasn't really comfortable being on a first name basis with a total stranger. But wasn't she the one who started it? Didn't she want to make them comfortable with her? "So uh…sleeping arrangements, yes? There's another room that used to be my grandpa's. The bed's big so you two should fit—"

"We're sleeping already?" Hannah almost stood up from her chair. "But it's still early. And I still want to get to know Rey."

"Hannah, I'm sure Rey is tired from a long day—"

"It's fine," Rey interrupted, earning her a raised eyebrow from Mr. Solo. Or Ben, as he had insisted on being called. "Hannah's right. It's still too early for bed and we shouldn't go to sleep so soon after eating. Also, I did say I want to get to know her."

Hannah seemed to perk up at that, and a wide grin slowly spread across her face. "Wait here."

Rey watched as the girl stood up and ran towards the living room. She could hear the unzipping of a bag—probably Hannah's luggage—followed by some rustling.

She raised her eyes at Ben and found him staring at her. She felt her cheeks flush and she quickly looked away. There was an intensity in his gaze that unnerved her.

"So…" Ben leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "Tell me, Rey. Are you in the habit of taking in strange kids into your home?"

Something about that question, or the way he said it rubbed Rey the wrong way, and she found herself crossing her arms. "Only those who claim to be my biological child."

Ben raised his eyebrows. "And you just took her word for it?"

"Well clearly, I know I am an egg donor," Rey huffed, her voice taking on a slight edge. "And whether you admit it or not, Hannah looks a lot like me."

"I can see that she does," Ben nodded. "If it weren't for her ears, I would've thought she wasn't mine."

Rey felt her shoulders relax, and she managed a little smile. Perhaps Ben was just as terrible at starting small talk as she was. "She has your hair and complexion too you know."

"But she has your freckles and dimples," Ben continued. "And apparently, she inherited your personality."

Rey's brows knitted. Had this man been smiling, she would've thought he was trying to be lighthearted. But no. He was neither smiling, nor had he spoken in a mirthful tone. He sounded dead serious, and his expression reflected it.

"What do you mean by that?" Rey asked.

Either unperturbed by the returning edge in her voice, or if he simply chose to ignore it, Ben leaned forward and said, "My daughter is quite obstinate and defiant. Doesn't know when to listen and as you well know now from her running away, doesn't know how to follow the rules."

Rey's jaw dropped, and it took a few seconds for her to formulate her next words. "You think I'm like that? How could judge me like that? We just met!"

Ben leaned back in his chair, his expression unchanged. "Well, she certainly didn't get it from me."

"Or maybe you aren't raising her right," Rey threw back.

She saw Ben's eye twitch and his full lips flatten into a thin line. She hadn't meant to say it like that, but it worked at shutting him up.

Buoyed by this, Rey continued, "She told me you aren't home enough. So much so she had to learn to take care of herself at such a young age."

"Which is a good thing," Ben fired back. "Independence is an admirable trait."

"She's eight for crying out loud," Rey hissed, trying her best to lower her voice even though all she wanted to do was to scream at this man's face. Hannah was still in the living room after all. "She still needs a parent to be around—"

"What do you know about raising kids anyway?" Ben spat. "By the looks of things, you don't have one of your own."

"Well, I do now," Rey said, much to her own surprise as well as Ben's. This man was pressing all the wrong buttons and it was all she could do to reign in her anger.

"That remains to be seen," Ben noted grimly, one finger raised in the air. "There are certain legalities at play here, or have you forgotten that?"

"You're a monster," Rey cursed under her breath. It was an exaggeration to be sure, but this man was really grating on her nerves, even more so when he smirked in response to her comment.

"Now who's judging who?" he drawled, just as Hannah came back to the dining room with her tablet.

Rey watched the girl turn from her to her father and ask, "Did I miss something?"

"No dear," Rey did her best to smile, even as she was still seething. "What have you got for me?"

"Photos." Hannah raced to Rey's side and took a seat, handing the tablet over for her to see. "You weren't able to see me grow up so I thought it was a good idea to show you these."

"That's…thoughtful of you," Rey mused, genuinely touched by the gesture. Her anger slowly dissipating, she leaned over to look as Hannah began pointing and describing photo after photo.

"This was when I was first brought home from the hospital. That's Daddy holding me."

Rey tilted her head, then darted her eyes up at Ben. He looked vastly different in the photo with a baby Hannah in his arms. For one thing, he wasn't wearing glasses. For another, his hair was longer, dark waves cascading down to his neck. But the biggest difference was that he was looking down at Hannah with what seemed to Rey like all the love in the world.

"What?" Ben asked, arms crossed over his chest. It was only then that Rey realized she had been staring.

"Nothing." Rey turned back to the tablet and watched as Hannah showed her more—pictures and videos of her first crawl, her first steps, her first birthday, then the second, and the next and the next. In all of them, Ben was present, smiling and happy, seemingly delighted by his little girl.

There were photos and videos of Hannah with her grandparents as well. The grandmother was diminutive while her husband was imposing, and Rey saw where Ben had gotten his height, though his features were a mix of both his parents.

Then, there was the photo of Hannah, sitting on the lap of her grandfather, now a frail old man, bald down to his eyebrows, with a sunken look on his wan face.

Rey's breath caught. She knew that look all too well. It was the look of a man dying from cancer.

"That's my Grandpa Han," Hannah said in a soft voice. "I was named after him. He had lung cancer. He died last year."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rey said just as softly. "My Grandpa Ben died of cancer too. He died nine years ago."

"Your grandpa has the same name as Daddy."

"Apparently, yes. His name was Benedict Kenobi."

"Oh. Daddy's name is Benjamin," Hannah remarked, as she swiped past more pictures of her and her late grandfather, until she reached a photo of her at Han Solo's hospital bedside. "Grandpa Han fought cancer like a champ. He had it since before I was born and fought for years. How long did your grandpa fight, Rey?"

"Not that long." Rey shifted in her seat. She wasn't very comfortable with the subject, and she felt herself at the verge of tears.

But Hannah was relentless. "How long? And what did he have?"

"Hannah," came a voice from across the table, and Rey looked up to see Ben pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "Why don't you show Rey other pictures besides that?"

Rey watched as Hannah blinked then turn towards her, her eyes widening with understanding. "Oh! Okay, Daddy."

Relief swelled inside of Rey, and she almost found herself thanking Ben, but stopped herself just in time. He may have changed the subject for her, but he was still a jerk, she thought.

The minutes ticked by and after Hannah had finished going through all the pictures and videos on her tablet, Rey already learned a lot about the girl. She was smart, if those pictures of her and her medals and awards from school were anything to go by. She loved to cook and kept her room tidy. She loved to sing and draw. Like most girls, she loved dolls and kept them neatly lined up at a shelf in her room. She seemed not to want for anything. Her grandparents were immensely proud of her…and her father was too…that was, until shortly after Han Solo's death.

That was when things probably went downhill, Rey observed, recalling the pictures of a grim faced family during the funeral, and the fewer photos of Hannah with her dad after that until it was just Hannah and occasionally her grandmother in the pictures. Hannah had explained that her grandfather used to run a shipping company and that his son Ben had had to take over when Han's health took a turn for the worse.

Rey nodded, her eyes darting briefly to Ben. Now she understood why he'd said something about working his ass off—why Hannah had mentioned he was barely home. Running a company couldn't be easy, Rey imagined, but that still wasn't a good enough excuse for child neglect.

"How about you, Rey?" Hannah asked as she put her phone down. "Do you have pictures that I can look at?"

"Uh, sure." Rey stood up and went to the living room, kneeling down the coffee table so she could retrieve a large photo album.

Once back in the dining room, she shared the photographs of her growing years with Hannah, and much like the girl did earlier, pointed at photo after photo, explaining what was going on and who she was with, which was mostly with her Grandpa Ben.

She hoped Hannah wouldn't notice, but the girl was sharp and instantly discerned something. "Where are your Mommy and Daddy?"

Again, Rey shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "They're not around."

"Oh? Where are they?"

That was a question Rey had asked her grandfather for years, she thought, not without a hint of bitterness, and she wasn't sure what to tell the girl, or if she wanted to tell her at all. They were just getting to know each other after all but this was walking on mighty fine ice. "They're…just not around."

Hannah didn't seem to take the hint. Or perhaps curiosity got the best of her because she continued to probe. "Do they work late like Daddy does? Is that why they're not around?"

"Hannah." Again, Ben's voice rang from across the table, though this time he had taken on a gentler tone. "Why don't you let Rey show you more pictures, hmm? I'm sure she'd want to tell you more about her Grandpa Ben. Isn't that right, Rey?"

"Huh? Oh, yes." Rey straightened in her seat, surprised and relieved once more that Ben had steered them away from the topic. He was still a jerk though, she thought.

Rey spent the next few minutes talking about her grandfather—how he had raised her from when she was five, how he'd worked as a professor at the local college, but glossed over his death from cancer. Almost a decade may have passed, but it was still a painful memory to relive.

Ironically, it was her grandfather's illness which led her to the very situation she was in—talking to _her daughter_.

"Rey?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking." Rey beamed a smile at Hannah. "I think that's all the pictures I have to show you. Anything else you want to do?"

"Yes." Hannah grabbed her tablet again and began pressing the screen. "I've prepared a list of questions that I've always wanted to ask you. I hope you don't mind."

"Uhm, sure." Rey set the photo album aside and sat up in her seat, hands clasped on her lap.

Hannah began with some mundane questions: What's your favorite color? Green, like forest green. What's your favorite food? Spaghetti and meatballs. What are your hobbies? Sketching, singing, and making art from scraps. What are your pet peeves? Rude people. And she said this while side-eyeing Ben. Any pets? No, but I babysit my friend's corgi every now and then.

Hannah continued firing question after question, and Rey answered them all. Then came the harder questions:

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Rey's answer was a swift "No."

Hannah scrunched up her nose. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not looking into getting into a relationship right now," Rey answered truthfully.

"Neither is Daddy," Hannah quipped and turned to Ben. "Daddy's never had a girlfriend."

Rey was quick to note how Ben's ears turned beet red and how his nostrils flared. "I go on dates," he said, his tone defensive. "I'm just not looking to commit right now. And let's not make this about me, Hannah. You want to ask Rey more questions, don't you?"

"Okay, Daddy." Hannah nodded and turned back to her tablet before continuing: What is your goal in life? To make my grandfather proud. What is your philosophy in life? Life is too short to miss out on being happy. What is your greatest dream in life?

"To have a family of my own," Rey answered, and as soon as she did, she felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "I mean, after losing my grandfather, I just…I…"

"Is that why you agreed to get to know me?" Hannah asked softly. "Because you want family?"

"I…I suppose." Rey's eyes flitted to Ben for a moment, and she found his expression had softened somewhat. "It's silly…and somewhat selfish I know."

Hannah shook her head. "It's not. I want the same thing, Rey."

Rey would have smiled had she not seen the flash of hurt in Ben's eyes. "You have family, Hannah. You have your Daddy and your Grandma."

"I know," Hannah said in a small voice, which told Rey that while yes, she did have family, it wasn't enough. The girl needed a mother, Rey thought, and she felt her heart break a little.

And finally, came the hardest question of all.

"If you knew…" Hannah began, and Rey noticed the way the girl's fingers tightened around her tablet. "If you knew I was out there, would you have tried to find me?"

Rey was stymied. She could feel both Ben's and Hannah's eyes on her as she weighed in on how she would answer. Clearing her throat, she sat up straight and spoke truthfully. "No, I wouldn't have, sweetheart. You see…like your Daddy said, I signed a contract relinquishing all claims I have towards you. I'm not even supposed to talk to you."

Rey saw Hannah's shoulders slump and her grip on her tablet loosen. The girl looked like she was close to tears, so Rey quickly put a hand on Hannah's shoulder and added, "But you know what? I'm glad to have met you, even if it's just for a little while. You're a very sweet girl and I'm happy that you are my biological daughter."

Hannah looked up, eyes shimmering with tears but a semblance of a smile on her face. "You really mean that?"

Rey smiled back. "Every word."

With that, Hannah rose from her chair and threw her arms around Rey, much to her surprise. "I'm happy too, Rey. I'm happy you're my biological mother."

Rey felt warmth bloom in her chest, and she found herself hugging Hannah back. It was in that moment that she realized how much she wanted this child in her life, and she began to wish she hadn't signed that contract all those years ago. But what was done was done, and all she could do was savor the little time she had with the girl while it lasted.

When it was time to let go, Rey found that she did so with great reluctance. "Hey, how about some dessert? I've got ice cream in the fridge."

"Ice cream," Hannah exclaimed with a clap before turning towards her father, who was, Rey realized, looking at her with the strangest expression on his face. "Can we have ice cream, Daddy? Can we?"

"Why not?" Ben shrugged. "I could use some ice cream."


	5. Chapter 5

Rey spent the rest of the evening eating ice cream and swapping stories with Hannah while Ben remained quiet in his little corner. By the time they had finished half the gallon of ice cream, Rey felt as though she had known Hannah for most of her life. The girl could talk as streak…well, so long as her father kept silent, which was what Ben did, and Rey was secretly grateful for that. There was even a moment when she forgot he was still in the room.

Then, Hannah began to yawn, and Rey's eyes moved towards clock on the wall. It was nearly eleven.

"It's getting pretty late," she declared, not without a hint of regret. "I think we should all head to bed. You guys can stay in my grandpa's old room."

She stood up, as did Ben, both of them reaching out to help Hannah off her seat.

That was when Rey felt Ben's fingers brush against hers, and she instantly jerked back.

"S-Sorry," Rey mumbled, then internally kicked herself when Ben didn't respond. She shouldn't even have acknowledged the physical contact. Now she just looked stupid.

"I…didn't bring any toiletries with me," Ben admitted, and the sheepish way he said it made Rey raise her eyebrows. It was weird to hear this proud, obnoxious man sound well…embarrassed. "I was such in a hurry to get here I didn't have time for anything else."

"I've got spare toothbrushes. You and Hannah can use those," Rey offered. "And my grandpa has some old pajamas that might fit you."

Ben shook his head. "No thanks. I'll just sleep in my clothes."

Rey didn't say anything, but it was a relief that Ben declined. She only offered the pajamas to be polite, but she'd rather not have anyone else wearing her dead grandfather's clothes.

Rey led Hannah and Ben to the bathroom, leaving them to do their business while she busied herself in preparing her grandfather's old room. She had kept it as clean as the rest of the house, but she figured some fresh sheets for her unexpected guests were in order.

By the time she was done, Hannah and Ben had emerged from the bathroom, Hannah in her pajamas (she had apparently prepared enough clothes to stay for a longer duration, Rey figured), while Ben had his coat and necktie draped over his arm, the sleeves of his white buttoned shirt rolled up to his elbows.

Rey gestured to the bed. "You two should fit in here just fine."

Hannah hurried to the bed, jumping on the mattress for a good three or four times, which caused Rey to smile. Hannah was still very much a little girl.

"The bed is big," Hannah declared, then beamed Rey a toothy grin. "Why don't you sleep here with us, Rey? That way, it'll really feel like a sleep over."

"N-No," Rey said, and thought she heard an echo in her voice. It took a second for her to realize Ben had spoken the same time she did, and she glanced up at him, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw him staring back at her too, his face flushed with clear embarrassment.

She quickly looked away. "Hannah, sweetie, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Well…we may all fit, but I don't think we would be comfortable," she explained as gently as she could. That didn't stop the look of disappointment from shadowing Hannah's face.

With a sigh, Rey approached the girl and chucked her under the chin. "Tell you what. Why don't you sleep now, then tomorrow we'll wake up bright and early so we can prepare breakfast together. How's that?"

The smile returned to Hannah's face. "Sounds great." Then, she rose up on her knees to plant a kiss on Rey's cheek. "Good night, Rey."

There it was again. That tug in her heart, and Rey felt her lips widen into a smile. "Good night, sweetie."

Hannah smiled back and yawned, stretching her arms over her head before lying down. Rey knew she was just prolonging the inevitable parting, but she fluffed up her daughter's pillow anyway and tucked the blanket beneath her chin before planting a kiss on the girl's forehead. Then, she stood back and watched as Hannah closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Then, she heard soft noises behind her and turned to find Ben hanging his coat and tie on the nail behind the door. She had once again almost forgotten he was still in the room with them.

"I'll leave you two to sleep," Rey said, her voice lowered to a whisper. "Good night."

She had barely stepped out of the room when Ben said, "Rey."

She stiffened and turned to face him. He'd taken off his glasses too, and he looked very much like his younger self on the photos Hannah had shown her earlier. He looked boyish almost, and if Rey were to be honest with herself, not at all bad looking. "Yes?"

"Thank you. For taking care of Hannah today. And for not sending her away when she arrived," Ben lowered his head a little. "I can see how much meeting you means to her, so…thank you for being decent."

Rey's brows knitted. She wasn't so sure how to take what he had just said, so she would just take it as an awkward attempt at a compliment and show of gratitude. "It's not just about being decent, Ben. Hannah's a wonderful kid. And I meant what I said. I'm happy to have her as my daughter and I'm happy she came to see me. Even if it's just for a little while."

Ben lifted his head to stare back at her. She could practically see him trying to process what she had just said but before he could say anything more, she said one more 'Good night' and hastily retreated to her room across the hall.

* * *

It was half past midnight when Rey heard her door creak open. She hadn't been able to sleep, the events of the day still consuming her thoughts so when she heard her door, she quickly bolted upright, only to find Hannah, peeking her head through the door.

"I'm sorry, Rey. Did I wake you?"

"No, sweetie." Rey's shoulders relaxed. "Did you need something? Water maybe?"

Hannah shook her head before lowering it. Through the lamplight on her bedside table, Rey could see the girl shuffling her feet. "Can I…sleep here with you?"

Rey blinked, her thoughts immediately on Ben. "What about your daddy?"

"Oh, he's asleep." Hannah wrinkled her nose. "And he snores. Loud."

Rey strained to hear. Sure enough, she could hear muffled snores coming from across the hall.

With a smile and without hesitation, she lifted her blanket and patted the space beside her. Hannah was quick to take up on the offer and crawled into bed beside Rey.

"It's like a sleepover," Hannah giggled when she had settled herself under the covers.

"Yeah, it is," Rey beamed. "But we can't stay up late. We still have to make an early breakfast tomorrow, remember?"

"I know, but I don't want this night to end."

"I don't want the night to end either, sweetie, but we have to sleep. Especially you since you're still a growing girl." Rey reached out to tuck a lock of dark, wavy hair behind Hannah's ear. "So let's sleep okay?"

"Okay." Hannah was quiet for a moment before she turned on her side to face Rey. "I know. Maybe if you tell me a story, I can sleep."

"Oh." Rey thought for a minute. "Well, there were a few stories my grandpa used to tell me—"

Hannah shook her head.

Rey frowned. "What?"

Hannah half-hid her face with the blanket. "Tell me the story…of when you decided to donate your eggs."

Rey blinked and stared at her daughter. Stared into eyes which were so much like her own. Stared until the girl blinked and looked away.

"It's okay," Hannah said in a quiet voice. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't want to, sweetie." Rey reached out to comb her daughter's hair away from her face. "It's just…it's not a very happy story."

"It's not?"

"No, sweetie. It's not."

"You donated because you were forced to?"

Rey stared into Hannah's eyes again. There was an intelligence there that went beyond the girl's years, and she felt her eyes prickle.

"Yes," she finally admitted. "I donated because I had no choice. I was only eighteen then. My Grandpa Ben was dying of cancer and his medical bills were astronomical. Donating my eggs was the only way I could think of to pay for his treatments."

Hannah grew silent, and Rey let the memories sink in—of a girl barely out of her teens desperately searching from clinic to clinic, state to state until the one in Coruscant City was willing to screen her despite her young age, how happy she was when she passed the screening, those days when she had to endure injections up until the egg retrieval, then the elation of receiving a check which she quickly used to pay for her grandfather's cancer treatments.

"I'm sorry, Rey," Hannah finally said. "You're right; it's not a happy story."

"No, it's not." Rey shook her head before forcing out a smile. "But you know what? Donating my eggs bought me more time with my Grandpa Ben. I wouldn't trade that for the world. And you know what else?"

"What?"

"Because of that, I now have you."

Hannah looked up, her eyes shimmering and her face brightening before she shifted closer to give Rey a tight hug. "I'm glad you donated, Rey. Because of you, I'm alive."

"Don't forget your daddy too," Rey chuckled as she hugged the girl back. "It takes two to make a baby, you know."

"Yeah." Hannah yawned and extricated herself from Rey's arms. "Daddy…he picked you because he found you really pretty. Grandma said so."

Rey froze. "He…what?"

Hannah nodded and yawned again. "Grandma was there when Daddy picked you out of a catalogue. I think…he had…a crush…on you…"

And with that, Hannah drifted off to sleep, her soft snores mirroring that of her father's from across the hall.

Rey lay on her back and stared at the ceiling, her daughter's words now ringing on her head.

Great. Now she was going to have even more trouble sleeping tonight.


	6. Chapter 6

The chirping of birds was what woke Ben Solo from a sound sleep. He wasn't a light sleeper by any stretch of the imagination, but something about today was different. For one thing, there were chirping birds—a rarity in the city of Coruscant. Then there was this lumpy mattress which smelled of laundry detergent…

That's when he remembered.

Hannah, not being home when he arrived early for once. Hannah, not answering her phone, her once pristine room a mess of open closet doors, strewn clothes on an unmade bed, and a missing luggage. Hannah, running away. Again. Her phone's GPS tracker leading him all the way to Outer Rim State and into Jakku town. To the doorstep of one Rey Kenobi…

Rey…

Ben groaned loudly and turned to his side, expecting to see his daughter sleeping beside him, only to come face to face with an empty space on the bed.

He blinked and sat up, looking around the room with sleepy eyes. His vision was all a blur without his glasses but he could still tell that Hannah wasn't in the room with him.

He reached out for his glasses from the nightstand and put them on. Could Hannah and Rey be cooking the early breakfast they had talked about the night before? He couldn't smell anything, nor could he hear any activity within the small house. Everything was quiet, save for the birds chirping incessantly outside.

Swinging his legs to the side of the bed, he put on his shoes and walked out of the room.

That's when he noticed the door across the hall was ajar, and through the morning light, he saw the small shape of his daughter, sleeping right beside Rey.

Envy and hurt lanced through his heart all at once. To think that his daughter would prefer the company of a stranger instead of him actually left him pained, and he began to wonder if the past year of throwing himself at work had caused a rift between Hannah and himself. They certainly hadn't been able to spend as much time together, ever since his father's death the year before. But hadn't he provided for her everything she needed and wanted? Maybe not his full attention, but still…

Ben sighed. No, he thought. It was much more than that. More than his own neglect, Hannah had found out in the worst way possible why she was brought in to this world. That had been the first time Hannah ran away, and no matter how many times Ben apologized, no matter how many times he had told her he hadn't meant the things he had said, he knew it had broken his little girl's heart.

It probably still did.

He shook his head from the memories and gingerly stepped into the room, making sure to walk in as quietly as possible so as not to wake the girls. Once at their bedside, he leaned over to tuck the blanket beneath his daughter's chin before his eyes moved to Rey. She was sleeping on her side just like Hannah, and they both looked so much alike that it wouldn't take a genius to tell that they were indeed mother and daughter—from the freckles, the dimples, the nose, the eyes, he had gotten what he had hoped for, for Hannah to take after her mother—the young woman whose picture had caught Ben's eye in that catalogue all those years ago…

The young woman who was sleeping beside his…their daughter.

The young woman who was still as beautiful as he remembered her…

Ben blinked as he caught himself and took a step back, a loud creak echoing through the small room. He must have stepped on a creaky floorboard but before he could turn and walk away, he saw Rey stir and blink up at him.

It took only a few seconds for her to sit up in a panic. "Ben! What are you—"

He quickly put a forefinger to his lips and pointed at Hannah, who was still lightly snoring beside Rey.

"Woke up to find Hannah gone," he explained in a whisper. "Just came in to check. Sorry if I startled you."

"Oh." Rey rubbed her eyes and looked at Hannah for a moment before turning back to Ben. "I'm sorry. She wanted to sleep beside me. I couldn't say no."

Ben nodded, but didn't say anything. Only stared as Rey looked around nervously. She was only in a white tank top and pajama bottoms, which he found actually…fetching on her. He quickly perished the thought.

"Uhm…what time is it?" Rey asked.

He held his wristwatch to his face. "6:15."

"Already? Oh my gosh, I gotta get to work." Rey started to rise from bed when Hannah moaned in her sleep. Ben watched her gaze at the sleeping child for a moment before he saw what he thought to be a mischievous glint in her eye.

"You know what?" she grinned, "I think I'll call in sick today."

Ben shook his head. "You really don't have to do that. Hannah and I can leave early."

"It's fine. I've never taken a sick day. It's high time I did." Rey shrugged and tucked Hannah's hair behind her ear, making Ben's lips flatten into a line. Hannah never did like showing her big ears, which she had inherited from him. He made a mental note to mention it later if he could. "Besides, it's not every day I get to cook breakfast for my daughter."

"I seem to recall you telling Hannah you'd be making breakfast together," he reminded.

"Oh, right." Rey nodded then looked at Hannah with a frown. "I'd hate to wake her. She's sleeping so soundly."

"Then don't. Let her sleep in for a while."

Rey looked up at Ben in clear surprise. "You sure that's okay?"

"Yeah." Ben crossed his arms, and in a tone that bordered on teasing, said, "If I'll bet anything, she stayed up late. You two probably chatted up a storm again."

He saw Rey blush and look away. "Yeah. Hannah's quite the chatterbox." A moment of silence passed before she turned to him again. "So…would you like some coffee?"

He nodded. "Coffee would be nice."

* * *

Rey walked into the kitchen, her fluffy bedroom slippers barely making a noise on the floorboards as she walked towards the counter to pour herself and Ben a cup of coffee.

"How was your sleep?" she asked by way of small talk as Ben took a seat on the dining table.

"I slept through the night, so that's good I guess," he answered. He still had bed hair, Rey noticed, which he hastily combed away with his fingers. Ben had really large hands, she thought, before quickly shaking the image from her head.

"Good. Good." Rey sat across from Ben, watching as he took a few sips from his cup. "How's the coffee? I could get more sugar and cream if you want."

"I usually prefer my coffee black, but this is okay."

"Okay."

"Mmhm."

Rey bit her lip and looked around. She was running out of things to say. This man before her was an enigma to say the least. She remembered him being quite rude the night before, then suddenly bordering on…nice? Then maybe a bit awkward? And of course, there was the matter of what Hannah had said about him having a crush on her…

Rey shook her head softly before plastering on a smile. "So…what's the plan?"

"The plan?" Ben cocked an eyebrow and took another sip of coffee. "The plan is to have breakfast here before I take Hannah back to Coruscant where she belongs."

"Oh." Rey tried not to look dejected. What was she expecting anyway? She had only offered for them to stay the night, and the night was already over. It was time to face reality. She wasn't going to see her daughter ever again.

"Would you…like to stay in touch?"

Startled, Rey looked up to see if Ben had indeed said those words. She saw his face and ears turn a shade of red before he continued, "With Hannah. I mean with Hannah. Would you like to stay in touch with her?"

"Y-Yes, of course," Rey nodded, far more enthusiastically than she should have. "I'd love to stay in touch with her."

A thick silence fell in the kitchen as Ben's eyes bored into hers. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, unsure exactly what this man was thinking until he reached out for something in his pocket, producing what looked like a business card, which he handed to Rey.

Rey stared at the card. It read Benjamin Organa Solo, Solo Shipping Ltd. It had his numbers, e-mail address, office address and website.

"You can reach me via those numbers," Ben said, stating the obvious. "I'd much rather you contact me first if you want to talk to Hannah. You may be her mother, but you're still a stranger. I hope you understand that."

His voice was flat when he said it, and it hurt. Rey thought that after last night, maybe she had made a bit of progress from being just a stranger, but no, Ben was right. One night of bonding didn't automatically make her family. There was more to family than just biology, she knew that. But it didn't make his words hurt any less.

"Thank you," she muttered and stood up to place the business card on the refrigerator, tucking it under one of her many ref magnets before returning to the table to sip on her coffee.

Silence became their companion once more. Rey didn't know what else she could say to this man and frankly, she was too miserable to make any more small talk. She would rather sit in this awkward silence while waiting for Hannah to wake up. And when the girl did, at least then she could pretend that everything was right in the world, that she wasn't alone. That she still somehow had family…

"Why did you donate your eggs?" Ben suddenly asked. "Was it for the money?"

She could see his eyes wandering around her not-so-pristine home, and she felt herself bristle.

"Yes, if you must know, it was for the money," she answered tersely. "To pay for my grandpa's medical bills."

"I see…" Ben nodded, seemingly unperturbed by the way she almost spat out her answer. "That was very noble of you."

Rey blinked and stared at him as he nonchalantly took another sip of coffee. How this man could go from insulting her to complimenting her was making her head spin. It was just like the night before—one minute he was a jerk, the next minute considerate. He was constantly catching her off guard.

Well, two can play this game, she thought. "What about you? Any noble reasons for deciding to have Hannah?"

She was quick to notice the way Ben flattened his lips into a line and the way his eyes grew dark. She'd hit a nerve somehow, and she wasn't going to let it go.

"You must've had a pretty good reason," Rey pressed on. "Hannah mentioned you never even had a wife so…why would a single man want to have a child all by himself?"

"If you must know, it wasn't for me." Ben's voice was low. "It was for my father."

That gave Rey a pause, and her mind instantly went to a movie she had seen a few years back. "Wait…this isn't a 'My Sister's Keeper' thing is it?"

Ben frowned. "What?"

"I mean…you didn't have her just so you can harvest stem cells from her or something for your father's treatment, right?"

It took a moment before Ben's lips curled into a smile. It was followed by a light chuckle, which jarred Rey to the core. She had never seen him laugh or smile, and there was something about it that made her face warm. He looked young. Boyish almost, and it was then she realized he wasn't really as unattractive as she had initially thought.

"No, nothing complicated like that," Ben shook his head, still smiling before, seemingly catching himself, stopped. "Though if that had been the case, Hannah would hate me even more."

"Wait, hate you?" Now, Rey's curiosity was really piqued. "Why would you say she hates you?"

"Why do you think she ran away? Twice?" Ben asked, bitterness dripping from his every word. "Why do you think she'd rather sleep beside you than with me?"

"She said it was because you snored."

"No, it's more than that."

"More than…your neglect of her?" Rey ventured, fully expecting Ben to grow angry but instead found him even more dejected.

"That's part of it I suppose," he admitted, "but it's not just that."

"Then, what is it?" Rey asked gently and waited for Ben to answer. He didn't, and the silence stretched on until Rey was fully convinced he wasn't going to continue with the conversation.

Until that was, he did, and what Rey found out then shed more light to the rift between father and daughter.


	7. Chapter 7

One year ago…

He had smelled it the moment he stepped into the foyer, the sharp scent assailing his senses and causing him to run up the flight of stairs and into the master's bedroom. Sure enough, he found Han Solo, cigarette hanging loose from his chapped lips, and smoke wafting over his head.

"You're smoking again?!" Ben demanded as he stepped further into the room and to his father's bedside. He tried to snatch the cigarette away but even in his poor state of health, Han managed to dodge the attempt and swat his son's hand away.

"I'm terminal son," he reminded. "Not like this will kill me any faster."

"You goddamn know it will!" Ben's voice boomed throughout the room. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"What's the point?" Han blew out a puff of smoke. "I'm dying and there's nothing we can do about it. I might as well enjoy the last few days I have left."

"And this is how you do it? By smoking your way to your grave?" This time, Ben managed to snatch the cigarette away, threw it to the floor and stamped it with his loafers. "Stop being so selfish! Think about Mom. Think about Hannah."

"Hannah…she's a strong little girl that one." Han shrugged. "She'll do alright."

His father's apparent indifference to the situation grated on Ben's nerves. "Like hell she will! You know how much that girl adores you. If I had known you'd just go and act this way, maybe I never should've had her in the first place."

The words were out before Ben could stop them, and it had a clear effect on Han. He could see in the way his father turned with wide, bloodshot eyes that the statement had jarred him. "Ben…"

"You made me have her!" Ben fumed, unable to stop the burning anger from bursting forth as he remembered all his hopes and dreams crash into oblivion…and for what? A fool of a man who remained stubborn and self-centered until his death bed? "You with your dying wish to be a grandfather…you were so selfish then, I should've known you'd be even more selfish now."

"Ben, I…"

"How'd you think I felt, being pressured to be a parent like that?" Ben continued, swiping the air with a furious finger. Like a dam unleashed, he was relentless. "I wasn't ready to be a father and yet you…you with your dying wishes…and now Hannah has to suffer from you dying. I should never have given in. I should never have had her!"

"B-Ben…" Han's voice was low, but frantic, and his eyes were not on Ben's but somewhere behind him. When Han pointed, Ben turned to look, only to have the color drain from his face.

At the open door of the bedroom, stood his daughter, tears streaming down her pale, freckled cheeks.

"You…didn't want me?" she sniffled, the complete despair in her tiny voice crushing Ben's heart.

"Hannah, that's not what I meant—"

"I hate you!" Hannah screamed, all despair now dissipating to anger. "I hate you, Daddy, I hate you! I wish you were never my Daddy!"

And with that, she turned and ran, her cutting words still lingering—words that would continue to haunt Ben for months to come.

* * *

"How long ago was that?"

Ben blinked away from the memories and looked up at Rey. She had both elbows on the table, hands clasped and shoulders turned in, clearly wrapped up in his recollection of events that had transpired in his parents' home not so long ago.

"Last year, a week before my father passed away," Ben answered with a deep sigh and combed his fingers through his hair. It dawned on him that this was the first time he had told anyone this story besides his mother, and he was telling it to a stranger no less but somehow, it didn't feel wrong. Rey…she was actually a good listener. "I don't think Hannah ever forgave me for that. I said some pretty nasty things…that's why she ran away the first time."

"Hannah said it took you a couple of days before you started looking for her," Rey mentioned. "Weren't you worried about her at all?"

There was no accusation in Rey's voice; more of concern for Hannah, and Ben felt a slight twinge in his chest.

He looked away. "She was at my mother's. I knew because I had the GPS tracker on her phone."

"She seemed to think that you didn't care," Rey said softly.

"It's not that I didn't." Ben reached for his coffee, and finding it lukewarm, set the mug back down. How long had they been talking? "I just…didn't think she wanted to see me. The things I said…it's more than enough to make her hate me."

Rey shook her head. "I don't think Hannah hates you. She may have been hurt and angry, but I don't think she hates you."

Ben scoffed. "And you know that because…?"

"If she hated you, she wouldn't have wanted your attention," Rey pointed out, then made a motion with her hand, as though she wanted to reach out to his, before stopping at the last second and moving her fingers back to her mug again. Ben found himself wishing she hadn't. "That's all she wants, Ben. Your time. I think one of the reasons she ran to me was because she was looking for attention elsewhere. And especially after that episode, she needs to know that she is loved and wanted. If you could just spend a little more time with her…"

"Yeah, maybe." Ben suddenly found himself fascinated by Rey's slender fingers cupped around her mug. "I still think she hates me though."

Rey smiled, and he felt his toes curl inside his shoes. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

She pointed behind him, and Ben turned to see his daughter, still in her pajamas, standing in the doorway.

His eyes widened and his mouth hung open. "H=Hannah! How long have you been standing there?"

"A while," Hannah replied, her hazel eyes moving from one parent to the other. She seemed to be deep in thought before she ran to her father and flinging her arms around his neck. "I don't hate you, Daddy. I know you didn't mean to say those things."

"Of course, I didn't sweetheart." Ben felt his heart warm as he reached out to put Hannah on his lap. He had begged for forgiveness, and she had said 'okay', but she had never outright denounced her words from that night until now, and it moved him. "Like I've told you before, I was just so angry at your grandpa. I didn't mean to drag you into it."

"But you were forced to have me," Hannah lifted her head and stared straight into her father's eyes, her own eyes showing a shimmer of hurt. "Just like Rey was forced to have me too. Neither of you wanted me but you had no choice."

Ben found himself looking at Rey, who stared back at him with alarm and concern. What was he supposed to say to that?

"Sweetie, it's not that we didn't want you," Rey started, then reached out to hold Hannah's hand in hers. "It's just…it wasn't exactly the right time to be parents. You're right, we didn't have a choice, but because of the situation we found ourselves in, we now have you. And you're the most wonderful little girl I've ever known. I'm sure your dad feels the same way."

"Hm? Y-Yes, of course," Ben nodded before tearing his eyes off of Rey. She had a way with words, and it was clear in Hannah's smile that Rey had gotten through the little girl.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Be honest. If Grandpa Han hadn't asked for a grandchild, would you have gotten me?"

Ben looked at Rey, almost as if to ask for help. She simply smiled and nodded, which caused him to sigh heavily. He wasn't as good with words as she evidently was, but he hoped his sincerity would be enough for his daughter.

"The thought probably wouldn't have crossed my mind, sweetheart," he answered honestly. "I was only twenty-eight and single, working odd jobs here and there—"

"While being part of a band," Hannah cut in, and with a grin, looked at Rey and explained, "Daddy was a musician. He was the lead singer in a rock band called StarKiller. And his stage name was Kylo Ren."

"Really?" There was something in the way Rey looked at him that made Ben squirm in his seat. "That explains the long hair in those old photos."

"That was a long time ago," Ben dismissed with a wave of a hand and adjusted Hannah on his lap. He was losing feeling in his leg. His little girl had grown heavier. How long ago was it since he was able to hold her like this? Quite a while now, and he had to recognize that it was in part due to Rey that he had Hannah in his arms again. It warmed him. "Anyway, the point is, Hannah, I probably wouldn't have gotten you, but I'm glad I did. And that's what matters."

"I'm glad too, Daddy," Hannah beamed, her eyes now full of such happiness that Ben couldn't help but smile back. "I'm glad both of you were forced into it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been born. Unless…"

Hannah grew quiet for a little while. She seemed to be deep in thought, and Ben nudged her. "Unless what sweetheart?"

Hannah looked at Rey, then at her father before continuing, "Unless maybe, if you and Rey had met each other, in another place and time, then maybe…"

"It wouldn't have worked," Ben laughed, hoping against hope he didn't sound too nervous. Across the table, he could hear Rey laughing nervously too. "We're not each other's type."

"Oh?" Hannah's grin was positively mischievous. "But grandma said Rey was your type, that you had a crush on her the moment you saw her picture—"

"Whoa, there tiger, that's enough." Ben clamped a hand around his daughter's mouth as he continued to let out a stilted laugh. He couldn't look Rey in the eye, especially not after he saw the blush that ran up from her neck all the way to her cheeks. "I think it's time we have breakfast. I'm starving."

* * *

Breakfast turned to lunch, then lunch turned to an early dinner before Ben finally decided that he and Hannah should leave. It was seven on the dot, and all three of them were busy washing dishes together. The dishwashing was Hannah's idea, and Rey surmised it was the little girl's way of delaying their inevitable parting.

Rey let out a small smile as she watched her daughter carefully hand Ben the plates she had rinsed for him to wipe dry and put on the rack. She, Hannah and Ben had spent an entire day together, piecing puzzles, playing scrabble, watching movies, taking pictures, and talking a streak, though conversations were mostly between her and Hannah, with Ben chiming in occasionally. By the end of the day, Rey knew more about Hannah, that she lived a good life with a loving family, and Rey had high hopes that Ben would make the necessary changes to accommodate his daughter's needs.

After soaping up the remaining dishes, Rey washed her hands and dried them with a hand towel, watching as father and daughter finished with the last of the plates. She found herself particularly staring at Ben, who had his sleeves up to his elbows and his glasses at the tip of his nose. She didn't realize until then that he actually had a pleasing profile…

As if sensing that he was being watched, Ben looked up, his eyes meeting hers for the briefest of moments before Rey turned away, her face growing hot just like when Hannah had playfully pointed out Ben's crush on her. She grew even more flustered when it dawned on her that Ben didn't exactly deny anything and…why in the world was she thinking these things?!

"I'm…going to get Hannah's luggage now." She excused herself and headed for her bedroom, taking Hannah's little purple luggage out with her. The luggage seemed heavier now, knowing the girl would be leaving soon, and Rey found her heart hurting a little when she saw Hannah and Ben enter the living room.

It was time for them to leave.

Hannah ran towards Rey, practically jumping in her arms, and Rey lifted the girl up to hold her tight.

"I'm going to miss you, Rey," Hannah whispered, her voice cracking a little. "Today's been great, thank you."

"I'm going to miss you too, Sweetie," Rey whispered back, and for the first time, planted a kiss on her daughter's cheek before leaning back to have a better look at her while adjusting her in her arms. "Don't worry. Your daddy has arranged for us to stay in touch. So this won't be the last we'll hear from each other, okay?"

"Really, Daddy?" Hannah turned to beam at her father. "You'd let me stay in touch with Rey?"

"Only when I'm around," Ben answered, his face impassive, "and only through my phone."

"Okay, Daddy, thank you." Hannah nodded, not even questioning her father's decision. "Daddy, can you take a picture of Rey and me? Please?"

"You already have lots of photos together," Ben complained, but Rey could tell by his smile that he was only teasing. He'd been smiling a lot more in the past several hours. "Okay, now say 'cheese'. I want to see those identical dimples together."

Ben snapped more than just one shot. Rey could hear the clicks of the camera before he finally set the phone down, and she in turn, set Hannah down.

"Rey, Rey, let's take one more selfie with Daddy!" Hannah said, excitedly tugging at Rey's hand.

"But we already did have selfies earlier," Rey reminded, trying to count the times Hannah had held the tablet out so she could get shots of herself with her parents in the background—from breakfast, to lunch, to dinner, to the scrabble and puzzle games in between, Hannah had snapped photo after photo on her tablet.

"Yeah, we did." Hannah scrunched up her nose. "But we didn't take a proper selfie. Here, let's all sit on the couch."

Rey allowed herself to be dragged to the sofa and seated herself while Hannah dragged Ben in too. The girl then sat between them, and with her dad's phone, snapped three shots of them smiling for the camera.

"Okay, these are good," Hannah declared, then looked at her parents with a grin. "Now I want a picture of just the two of you. So I can show my classmates my Mommy and Daddy."

"Uhm, okay…" Rey nodded, not quite comfortable with the idea as she beamed a smile at the camera.

Hannah shook her head. "No, no. There's still a space between you two. Closer."

Rey looked at Ben then, and she saw his ears turn beet red. Nonetheless, he nodded and moved closer.

"Closer!" Hannah coaxed happily, practically jumping in her boots. "Yes, just a bit more."

Ben was now pressed at her side, and Rey could feel heat radiating from where their shoulders touched as she smiled shakily for Hannah, who seemed to be taking her time snapping more than just one photo.

"This is great," Hannah declared once she was done, cheerfully previewing the images before handing the phone back to her father. "Daddy, make sure Rey has copies, okay?"

"I'll e-mail them to her," Ben promised, then turned to Rey. "I'll need your contact details."

Rey nodded and sent Ben a text with her e-mail address. She had saved his phone number in her contacts earlier that day. "I'll e-mail you the photos from my phone too."

"That would be nice," Ben said, and Rey waited for him to say something more but the silence lingered in much the same way his gaze did over her.

It was Hannah who broke the silence with a crushing embrace around Rey's waist. "Goodbye, Rey. Thank you again for today."

"Anytime, Sweetie," Rey said, and meant it, kneeling down to properly hug Hannah back before letting her go reluctantly. Then, she turned to Ben and held out her hand. "Thank you, Ben, for letting me spend time with her."

Ben stared at her hand for a moment before reaching out to engulf it with his. Large hands, Rey noted again, his grip warm and firm. "Stay in touch, Rey."

"I will."

"We'll all stay in touch," Hannah declared, and suddenly put both her hands over and under her parents' clasped hands so they were pressed together even more. "That's what families do, right?"

"R-right," Rey chuckled, and gingerly extricated her hand from Ben's and Hannah's grasp. Her fingers still tingled and her heart was beating fast. Family, she thought, the word sending warm feelings through her.

"I…think we better go," Ben interrupted Rey's musings as he took his coat from the armrest of the nearby chair and put it on. "We still have about three hours of travel ahead of us."

"Of course," Rey nodded and led them both out of the house and into Ben's car. She watched them board the vehicle, luggage and all; watched as Ben waved and drove off, Hannah in the backseat, waving profusely until they vanished at a distant corner of the road.

Rey wrapped her arms around herself as she turned and headed back into the house. The warmth and merriment were gone, and all she had now was herself, and some memories left on her phone.

She would spend the next few hours pondering the day's events, all the while looking at the selfies she had taken earlier with Hannah and Ben. Remembering her promise, she quickly fired up an e-mail to Ben, attaching the photos before hitting send.

In a few minutes, she got a reply via text.

 **Ben  
** Got the e-mail. Thanks. Just got home safely too. Will e-mail you the pictures first thing in the morning.

Rey was only too quick to reply.

Good to hear. Please say goodnight to Hannah for me.

 **Ben  
** She fell asleep in the car. But good night from the both of us. And thanks for today.

Anytime. She bit her lip at her reply. It occurred to her she hadn't exactly said goodnight to Ben, so she added, Goodnight, Ben. And thank you too.

The reply was swift.

 **Ben  
** Good night, Rey.

She smiled and put her phone on her nightstand before settling in for the night. The smile would not leave her face until she drifted off to sleep, her dreams filled with happy memories of her grandfather, during a time in her life when her family was, in her eyes, complete.


	8. Chapter 8

Notes: Hi guys. First of all, I deeply apologize for the long hiatus. I know the last update was in 2018, but I've always meant to come back to this story once I figured out how to work through story beats and stuff. While on hiatus, I had focused more on my art than my writing as well as real life stuff.

Fast forward 2019, and TROS happened. If you liked the movie, then good on you. I can't say the same for me. And I am so full of spite, that my muse finally awakened from her long hibernation and now she's making me write again. You won't have to wait long for the next updates anymore, as I have already written the next two chapters after this. They would still need polishing though.

To those who have bookmarked, subscribed, and continued to wait for this fic, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for staying and supporting this story. And to new readers, welcome :)

Last and certainly not the least, I would like to thank Mia for beta-reading this chapter and providing me insights and advice on how to improve it. I am truly grateful.

Now, onto the story :)

* * *

Rey's life had been trapped in a predictable routine.

Emphasis on had .

Ever since meeting Hannah and Ben, there had been a lot more to look forward to in her life. Sure, she still worked the same twelve-hour shift at Niima Junkyard; still had to deal with Plutt's lascivious eyes but she was happier now than she had been in years. Where there was once only few, far-between texts and calls from Finn and Poe, she now had frequent and daily texts from Hannah, and sometimes from Ben. He had allowed their daughter to text her on her own, provided he too was privy to the conversation. He had told Rey as much the last time he and Hannah called not too long ago. Or rather, video-called.

Just as they had agreed on, Rey had to go through Ben first before she could talk to Hannah. Texts were one thing, but calls and video calls should only be done through his phone and not through Hannah's. Rey found this arrangement peculiar but she wasn't about to sabotage her line of communication to her daughter, so she just went with it.

The first few times, Ben only kept his and Rey's conversations brief, sticking mostly with short hellos before handing the phone over to Hannah. But as time passed and the more comfortable they got, their conversations stretched longer and longer. Their topics usually involved Hannah, though it very slowly evolved into talking about their personal lives.

It had started with Ben asking her about her day.

"There's not much to tell. Junkyard work is not really the most exciting job in the world," Rey dismissed, angling her phone so she could try and peer over Ben's shoulder for any sign of their daughter. He didn't appear to be holding his phone, but seemed to have propped it up against something on the coffee table. She could see him from the knees up, sitting on a couch and leaning forwards, elbows on his knees and large hands clasped together. He didn't have his jacket on, and the sleeves of his button down shirt were rolled up, exposing his forearms. He clearly worked out.

"I don't know. I imagine you find some pretty interesting stuff in your line of work," Ben mused, bespectacled eyes trained on her. He seemed genuinely interested. "My Uncle Chewie and I used to go to junkyards to look for car parts and stuff back when I was a teenager. Drove my parents nuts whenever I came home all dirty and greasy."

"Why would you need to look for car parts with your uncle?"

"Technically, he's not my uncle. He's my father's best friend, and it's part of his job to look for car parts and scrap metal," Ben clarified. "Uncle Chewie is a mechanic, and runs a small car restoration business. You know, like those TV shows."

"Wow, really?" Rey couldn't help but smile. "I love those shows. I love anything that has to do with fixing broken things."

"Me too," Ben agreed, and Rey found herself squirming on her couch from the way he smiled back. She didn't realize until then that he had dimpled cheeks. "It's really satisfying to see stuff being restored. That's why I still make it a point to visit Uncle Chewie once in a while, just to see what car he's working on. I assume Niima Junkyard has no shortage of car parts and scraps."

"Yup," Rey nodded. "In fact, I was able to restore my grandpa's old Jalopy and make it like new from parts I scavenged there."

"You're into car restoration too?"

"Restoration in general. I used to fix my own toys when I was little. Grandpa and I didn't exactly have much, so I had to make my toys last." Rey paused at her own words. Had she sounded pitiful? She must have, she thought, and Ben's silence was only adding to her discomfort.

She started to change the subject but Ben spoke first. "Hannah does that too. Fixing her own toys I mean. My mother taught her how to sew so she could fix any tears on her dolls and stuffed toys. She has also taken to donating some of her toys. She says it's because she wants to make other kids happy the way her toys made her happy."

"That's awfully sweet of her." Rey beamed. "You've raised her very well, Ben."

He chuckled, and it was a low, pleasant rumble that made Rey's heart skip a beat. "I seem to recall you telling me the opposite back when I was there."

"Well, you were being a jerk."

"Yes. Yes, I was." There was a twinkle in his eyes when he said that, mirth in his deep voice and a soft smile on his lips that Rey couldn't help but mirror.

"Who's being a jerk?"

Rey perked up when she heard Hannah's voice. Sure enough, her daughter's face appeared on the screen as she peered over from behind the couch Ben was sitting on.

"Hannah! Where have you been?" Rey asked.

"Doing homework," Hannah answered with a toothy grin before going around the couch and plopping down next to her father. She was still in her school clothes, and Rey's eyes darted towards the clock. 6pm. Huh. Ben came home early.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Ben said flatly, his smile fading. Rey's brows furrowed. He sounded...disappointed? "I'll see what I can cook."

"You cook?" Rey questioned. She wanted to keep Ben in the conversation, though she wasn't sure exactly why.

The corners of Ben's lips turned up. "I do. Hannah isn't the only one who got lessons from my mother." He reached out to ruffle Hannah's hair, making the girl giggle before he turned to the phone again and said, "It was nice talking to you, Rey."

"Nice talking to you too, Ben."

Ben's small smile widened, and he slowly got up from the couch. Rey found herself staring at his retreating form as he made his way out what she assumed to be the living room before disappearing into a corner.

"What was that all about?" Hannah asked.

Rey's eyes moved over her daughter again."What was what all about?"

"You and Daddy." Hannah began swinging her legs, leaning closer to the screen and grinning widely. "You two were talking for a while. And you seemed to enjoy it too."

Rey felt a blush rise up her cheeks. She hoped it wasn't discernible through the phone screen. "We only took a while because we were waiting for you. Anyway, how was school today?"

* * *

"I noticed you've been coming home early," Rey said to Ben, her eyes on the clock. "I seem to recall Hannah saying you used to come home as late as ten or eleven."

"I decided to take your advice. Spend more time with Hannah." Ben grunted as he lifted their daughter and set her on his lap. He was in his home office again, a shelf of books behind his swivel chair.

"Daddy takes work home now," Hannah informed. "I get to spend time with him in his office and we cook and have dinner together too, just like we used to.."

"I'm glad you two are spending more time together." Rey smiled, genuinely happy for them both. "It's how it should be."

"It's all thanks to you, Rey." Hannah's smile could have lit up the entire room. "It's because of you that Daddy's back to being the Daddy I knew before Grandpa Han went to Heaven. Now all that's missing is a mommy."

Hannah turned her head to give her father a pointed look, and Ben let out a short laugh. Rey thought he looked and sounded nervous. She could certainly relate to the feeling.

"I'll give you both some privacy." Ben got Hannah off his lap and had her sit on his chair while he disappeared offscreen. Hannah didn't speak again until Rey heard the door to the office close.

"I'm serious, Rey." Hannah leaned over as if to conspire with her. "Grandpa Han is gone, and even though I still have my Grandma Leia and my Daddy, I'm still missing a mommy." The girl paused for a moment and sighed. "I wish you were here, Rey."

That broke Rey's heart a little. "Sweetie, I'm always here. We can text any time and video-call through your dad's phone and-"

"It's not the same as actually having you here though," Hannah pouted, and she looked so cute that Rey wished she could reach into the phone and give her a great big hug. "I miss you, Rey. When will I see you again?"

Rey bit her lower lip. It had been a little over a month since they last saw each other, and while she and Ben had agreed on keeping communication lines open, they hadn't broached the subject of meeting again.

"I don't know, sweetie," Rey answered honestly. "It's something I have to go over with your dad."

Hannah seemed to perk up. "I'm sure Daddy wouldn't mind seeing you again. He misses you too."

Rey almost choked. "He...he does?"

"Yeah. He doesn't say it, but I know he looks forward to your calls, and he always smiles when you two talk for a long time. He rarely ever smiles."

Rey wasn't sure what to do with the information, and ended up letting out a short, anxious laugh. "I guess your daddy and I are becoming friends. I didn't really like him at first, you know."

"I know." Hannah nodded, twirling a small finger around her dark hair. "It takes a while for him to warm up to people but I think he warmed up to you very fast." She stopped twirling her hair and smiled. "I think Daddy likes you."

Rey laughed, trying her best not to sound as nervous as she felt. Surely, the girl didn't mean it like that . "Of course, honey. That's how friends are. They like each other. Now, tell me about your friends at school."

* * *

True to his word, Ben continued to come home early and spend as much time with Hannah as possible, even reading her bedtime stories and tucking her in for the night. The girl told Rey as much during their video calls, and she seemed much happier these days, always a ball of energy, talking a streak to Rey about her day, and listening when Rey talked about hers. It was the same for Ben as well, whenever they get to talk, which was quite often since Rey still had to go through him to get to Hannah.

She didn't mind though. Enough time had passed and she had grown accustomed to the routine. She had taken to their daughter almost immediately and now, she felt at ease with Ben as well. He was really trying his best to be a good father and provider while running a company at the same time, and even though she knew next to nothing about juggling child care and work, her insights and advice seemed to have helped Ben achieve a balance of sorts. Both father and daughter were happy, and so she was happy.

Then came the time when Ben had to come home late. He had sent a text to Rey, telling her that he would need to spend extra time in the company office but requested that she waited for him to get home before she talked to Hannah on his phone.

And so Rey had waited. And waited. And before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep on the couch, the old CRT TV still tuned to the channel she had been watching. It wasn't until her phone started ringing that she woke up, startled to find that it was almost eleven.

"You're home late," she murmured, still a bit groggy as she turned off the TV and lay back on the couch, phone held fairly close to her face.

"I did say I was going to be." Ben let out a deep breath before sitting down and loosening his neck tie. Rey noticed his surroundings were different, and as her eyes adjusted, she realized he must be in his room.

"Where's Hannah?" she asked, suddenly fully awake and sat up. "You didn't leave her alone again all night, didn't you?"

Ben grunted and moved until he was lying down in bed, dark hair strewn over the pillow. "I never leave her by herself. I had Rose come over to take care of her."

"Rose?" Rey frowned. This was the first time Ben had ever mentioned another woman's name.

"Hannah's babysitter," Ben supplied. "Rose also happens to work for Uncle Chewie as a mechanic. She lives nearby, and has been babysitting Hannah for a little over a year now."

"You never told me Hannah had a babysitter," Rey commented, a little miffed that such an information wasn't revealed to her. She had always assumed that Ben was Hannah's main caretaker besides his mother. "You've never mentioned it. For that matter, neither has Hannah."

That Ben chuckled in response only grated at her. "Of course Hannah has a babysitter, Rey. I may have neglected her for a time before, but I'm not that negligent. And as much as she likes Rose, my...our daughter isn't exactly one to brag about still having a babysitter. She likes to tell people that she can take care of herself. She's stubborn that way."

"So if she has a babysitter, how come she was able to run away last time?" Rey questioned, trying her best not to sound accusing.

"Rose was down with a cold that day," Ben explained. "That's why I went home early and found out that Hannah had run away. But enough of that. How are you?"

It wasn't just the sudden change of subject that made Rey's head spin, but his change in tone as well. He sounded...chipper? "I'm fine. Just a little sleepy. I fell asleep while waiting, hoping I'd get to talk to Hannah."

"Sorry. I had to do extra work in the office." Ben was quiet for a moment, his eyes lowered."Rey, if you really want to talk to Hannah...you can call her phone any time, even without me."

Rey's eyebrows met. Ben's voice had trembled when he said it, and he would barely look her in the eye. "Why, Ben? I thought this was how you wanted it."

"It's a stupid arrangement now that I think about it." Ben ran his palm across his mole-speckled face and let out a heavy sigh. "I mean, you two are already free to text each other, so there's no real reason for me to monitor your calls. Besides, I think it's time I trusted you a little more. I'm only sorry I didn't sooner."

"Oh," Rey said, not quite sure what to say to that. "Uhm...thank you, Ben."

"You're welcome."

A moment of silence fell between them. Rey chewed on her bottom lip, trying to digest what Ben had just said. He was trusting her enough to let her call their daughter directly. She should feel grateful. Happy even. But this new arrangement meant she wouldn't have to go through Ben first.

Which meant she might not be able to talk to him anymore.

She shook away the gloom in her thoughts and said, "I'm assuming Hannah's asleep?"

"Yeah. Rose told me she tucked her in a few hours ago." Ben paused. "How are you, Rey?"

Rey felt the corner of her lip curl up to a smirk. "That's the second time you asked me that."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's fine. I'm sure you're sleepy after a long day at work."

"Yeah. today's been tiring. But I'd like to hear about your day." Ben shifted on the bed again so now he was lying on his side. "What about that computer you've been trying to piece together from scraps? How's that coming along?"

Rey stared at Ben, not so much in surprise as it was in contained delight. He had listened, really listened to her during their conversations, and she found herself appreciating that more and more. Appreciating him .

And so she talked. She talked as though she would never be able to talk to him again, which might as well be the case. He was, after all, giving her freedom to bypass him and call straight to Hannah. She really would have no reason to talk to him...except for the fact that she enjoyed his company.

Huh. She enjoyed Ben's company. But she couldn't very well tell him that.

* * *

Notes: I introduced Rose late in the game because this fic was written in pre-TLJ 2016, when I didn't even know Rose's name or how important she would be to TLJ.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Decided to give you guys an early update as a distraction. Hope you guys like it!

* * *

Thanks again to Mia for beta reading this chapter :D I definitely missed some mistakes there. Thanks for spotting them!

The first few nights after Ben had allowed her to call Hannah directly was an adjustment. More than once, Rey mistakenly called Ben first out of habit, and apologized profusely for it. Ben however seemed to take it in stride, assuring Rey that he understood before prolonging their conversations until Hannah came in to take over the video call.

Calling Hannah directly left Rey with a bizarre feeling. She had gotten used to seeing Ben first, and while she certainly didn't mind seeing her daughter's freckled and smiling face, she couldn't help but feel something was missing.

"Where's your father?" she asked one time.

"He's in his home office downstairs." Hannah twirled her dark hair with a finger. Her phone appeared to be propped up against a pillow while she lay on her stomach. She was wearing a pair of unicorn-printed pajamas and 'Something There' from Beauty and the Beast played somewhere in the background. "I'm in my room."

"Yes, sweetie, I can see that," Rey smiled and sank further into bed. She glanced at the clock. "Hannah, honey, it's past ten. Shouldn't you be sleeping already?"

"I know, but I'm waiting for Daddy to tuck me in," Hannah informed. She was beginning to sound sleepy, and was clearly fighting to stay awake. "If you were here, we'd play scrabble and puzzles until I fall asleep."

Rey chuckled. "If I was there, I would have tucked you in hours ago."

"Yeah, but you're not here." Hannah yawned, and Rey found herself following suit. "Rey, when will we see each other again?"

"Your father and I haven't really talked about that yet," Rey admitted.

"Is it because you two don't get to talk much anymore?"

The girl's question jarred Rey. It was true, her talks with Ben weren't as frequent or as long as they once were. Not since Ben let her call Hannah directly. Certainly, she could admit to herself now that she missed talking to him, but she couldn't let him know that, especially since he didn't appear to feel the same way.

There was also something else that nagged Rey about the girl's question. "What makes you say that your Daddy and I don't talk much anymore?"

Hannah shrugged, her face glum. "You call me, not him now. And he's not the same."

"What do you mean he's not the same?" Rey pursued.

Hannah made a face. "He used to find time for me even though he's working from home. But lately he's been spending more and more time in his home office and working a lot harder. He does that when he's sad about something. That's why he made himself so busy after Grandpa Han died. He's also not smiling as much anymore."

"Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with us not talking," Rey suggested, though deep down, she was beginning to have doubts, but she quickly quelled them. "Maybe something happened at work."

"Maybe," Hannah agreed with clear reluctance. "But he was a lot happier when you two talked a lot." A pause. Then, a small, hopeful smile. "Why don't you call Daddy right now, Rey?"

Rey shook her head softly. "I don't know, sweetie. He might be doing something important. I'd hate to interrupt."

"You won't be a bother," Hannah insisted. "I'm sure he'll stop whatever he's doing to talk to you."

"Sweetie, we can't-"

"Or better yet, I'll go bring my phone down to him now."

"Hannah, don't-"

"I'm heading down!" Hannah declared, and the screen became a mess of images. The girl was obviously running with her phone-still on video call-in her hand.

Rey sighed. Ben was right. Their daughter was stubborn.

* * *

Ben stopped typing on his laptop and sat back in his office chair, swiveling until he was facing the window. There wasn't much to look at in the dark of night except for the street lamps that lined the street outside his house. Not that it mattered. He wasn't looking at the scenery, but rather at a distant memory.

Of the woman whose bright, hazel eyes Hannah had inherited.

He sucked in a breath and leaned back in his chair, spectacles riding up his forehead as he pushed the heels of his palms to his eyes. What the fuck was he thinking, expecting her to still want to talk to him? Of course she'd only want to talk to their daughter. She had no obligation to speak to him after he'd allowed her to call Hannah on her own, and not for the first time, he regretted his decision.

But why should he even regret it in the first place? Rey was grateful for it. She had earned his trust. Deserved it even, for being the mother Hannah had always wanted despite the distance. She made it work. By God, she made it work. And he appreciated that. More than she could ever know. She was kind. Caring. Nurturing. Conversation flowed freely with her. And she listened. Actually listened to every word that came out of his mouth.

And she was still as beautiful as the day he first saw her picture on that egg donor catalogue.

"Fuck!" Ben swiveled back to his desk and slammed a fist on the mahogany surface. This would not do. He couldn't stop thinking about her despite everything in him screaming that he should. Harboring this... attraction ...towards the biological mother of his child was added complication to an already complicated family dynamic.

Family…

He shook his head vigorously. He had to nip this in the bud. Go back to the way things were before he met her. Back to his mundane life. Except he couldn't shake her off now that she and Hannah had grown close. He couldn't even purge her from his thoughts even though he desperately wanted to.

He adjusted his glasses and turned back to his laptop, trying to make sense of the columns of numbers but to no avail. He had tried burying himself in work, hoping to forget. Forget her. Forget the fact that they hadn't talked in over a week. But the more time passed, the more miserable he became. He knew Hannah noticed. The girl had done everything she could to cheer him up: giving him spontaneous hugs, cooking for him, trying to distract him with jokes and memes and he'd pretended that he was okay. But he knew Hannah was very perceptive and was able to see through the farce until she too grew dejected.

He let out a breath. He shouldn't let his mood affect his daughter. Hell, he shouldn't let this little infatuation with Rey affect his entire life.

He stopped typing and groaned in frustration. No woman had ever had this effect on him. Ever since his days with the band, his relationships had been fleeting and meaningless. Even as an adult, he had yet to make a connection with anyone; the kind of connection his parents had.

It wasn't for lack of trying. After Hannah was born, he had tried to get into serious relationships so his daughter would grow up with a mother, but the relationships either fizzled out or there was just no spark. In the end, he had given up, and resigned himself to a lonely life as a single father.

And then Rey had come along, not when Hannah ran away to meet her, but years before that. Nine years to be exact. In the local egg donor facility.

He remembered his mother telling him to go with his gut in choosing from the egg donor catalogue. And despite the sea of pretty faces, he had always gone back to the young brunette with the hazel eyes and disarming smile.

Rey...she had been the youngest in the catalogue. Only eighteen; ten years his junior. Not that her age mattered, though that in itself had piqued his interest. Why would someone so young choose to donate? Clearly there was a story there, and now that he knew what her story was, he was left in awe. And the more he got to know her, the more his admiration grew until…

Knocks on the door cut through his musings. It could only be Hannah. "Come in, sweetheart."

The door swung open and Hannah walked briskly towards him and around his desk. She was breathless, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. "Daddy, Rey wants to talk to you."

Ben felt a lump form in his throat. Trying his best to steady his shaky hands, he took the phone from his daughter and held it up to his face, the sight of Rey almost making his knees knock together.

"You two talk. I'm going now," Hannah said before rushing outside the office, taking care to close the door softly.

Ben stared at the door for a moment then turned back to the phone screen. Rey was biting her lower lip again-a habit of hers that he found unbearingly cute. "Rey? You wanted to talk to me?"

He nearly gagged at his own tone of voice. He sounded hopeful. Excited. Too excited.

"No," was Rey's swift answer, and he felt himself deflate. "I don't know why Hannah lied about that. I told her I didn't want to disturb you. Sorry if I'm interrupting your work."

"It's nothing." He tried to sound casual about it, though he was still hurting from her swift 'no'. "I'll go bring the phone back to her."

"Ben…"

He stopped short of rising from his chair and looked at the screen again. "Yes?"

Rey looked away. "I...actually do want to talk to you."

He sat back in his chair, though his shoulders remained tense. "About what?"

"About…about you working too much." The concern in her voice was enough to buoy his spirits but he was quick to dismiss it. It was probably just his imagination. "Hannah says you don't spend as much time with her anymore. That you're burying yourself in work and that you've been sad."

"I...suppose I haven't been myself lately," he admitted, running a hand over his jaw.

"Why?"

Ben's shoulders slumped, and his body suddenly grew heavy. How would he even begin to explain without telling her too much? That getting to know her, the conversations between them had gotten him attached to her, so much so that now having just a tenuous connection to her was difficult for him?

The silence must have stretched on, because Rey interrupted his musings. "Ben...I'm worried about you."

He blinked and stared at her as though it were the first time he had ever seen her. She was worried about him. He wasn't imagining it. She really was concerned.

He tried his best to hide a smile. "I'm fine, Rey. There's nothing to worry about. I've just been...stressed from work, that's all."

"Ben, you don't have to pretend with me," Rey said softly, and Ben felt his heart constrict with feeling. "It's okay to admit you're not okay. You shouldn't keep things bottled up inside. I'm here if you want to talk. So...if you want to talk, just talk. I'll listen."

"I know you will." He nodded, lost in thought for a moment before he asked, "How's your frankenstein computer coming along?"

Rey rolled her eyes. He didn't want to find it endearing. He didn't. "Ben…"

"I'm serious." He forced out a chuckle. He wanted nothing more than to change the subject. "I really want to know if you got it working."

Rey sighed. Nonetheless, she began talking about her little computer project, how the only thing she'd had to pay for was the operating system and a few parts, and though Ben was lost in the technical jargon she sometimes spewed, he did his best to hang on to her every word.

Then, an idea wormed its way into his head. "Rey, how about this? Since you have a working computer now maybe...maybe we can have video calls through my laptop and your computer instead of Hannah's phone or tablet. We get a bigger screen, and that way, our arms won't get tired from holding the phone up all the time."

Rey tilted her head, thumb and forefinger running across her lips. He could tell she was considering it. It was a logical solution, right? It's not like it was just an excuse to talk to her more. He was thinking practically. He was.

"Does Hannah have a laptop?" she asked.

He shook his head. "She doesn't. But I do."

"Yes, but don't you use it for work?" Rey pointed out. "I'd hate to interrupt anything important."

Ben waved a hand. "It's fine. But if you're worried, we can schedule our calls. I usually take a break between 7 to 8PM, then tuck Hannah in at 9."

It took a while, but when Rey finally nodded, Ben felt his heart soar. "Sounds great, Ben. Let's do that." She turned her head elsewhere then gasped. "Oh my God, it's past eleven! I didn't even notice the time."

"Neither did I," Ben said in amazement. Time really flew by whenever he talked to Rey. Then, he remembered something. "Shit. I forgot to tuck Hannah in." A pause. "Do you want to end the call now?"

"No, not yet. I want to say goodnight to Hannah."

That made him smile a little, and with the phone still in his hand, he made his way out of the home office, up the stairs and in front of Hannah's door.

He knocked softly and called for her, and when he didn't get a response, slowly opened the door.

The lights in Hannah's room were already out, save for her bedside lamp. Hannah herself was already snuggled under her blanket, little snores emanating from her parted lips.

"She's asleep," Ben whispered to Rey as he stood by the door, still holding Hannah's phone to his face. "I think you should sleep too. It's quite late."

"What about you?" Rey shifted in bed until she was lying back on her pillow, chestnut brown hair strewn across it. Ben wondered what it would be like to run his fingers through the strands. "Aren't you going to sleep yet?"

"I'll head to bed as soon as I'm done with work."

"Can't it wait til tomorrow? You look tired."

"I am."

"So go to bed."

"Alright, alright." Ben almost laughed. The command in her voice reminded him of the way his mother would tell his father to go to bed instead of working. "So...calls at 7pm tomorrow?

"Yes. 7pm tomorrow then." Rey's smile reached her eyes, and Ben thought they twinkled under the glow of her phone screen's light. "Good night, Ben."

"Good night, Rey."

Rey ended the call first. Ben stared at the screen for a moment longer before putting the phone on Hannah's bedside table and planting a kiss on the girl's forehead. She stirred, but didn't wake, and Ben exited her room and went to his.

It wasn't until he had settled in for the night that it dawned on him what he had done.

He had reopened a line of communication with Rey.

Shit.

So much for staying away and nipping things in the bud.

* * *

A/N: Uh-oh. Feelings are involved now. This should be...interesting. And looks like Ben's found a way to talk to Rey again. Not like he did it with ulterior motives right? He was just thinking of what's convenient hehehe

Next chapter's already been written but I like to be at least two chapters ahead and I haven't written Chapter 11 yet. So while this update was quick, the next one may take a bit of a while, but not TOO long.

Thank you so much for continued support guys! And feel free to make your thoughts known :) Always a pleasure reading your comments.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks to Mia for the beta read and my husband for the song lyrics

* * *

Things returned to normal shortly after they arranged to make video calls through her computer and Ben's laptop instead of the phone. Ben stopped being so busy all the time and went back to spending more time with Hannah. He was getting better each day, and Rey couldn't be happier to see him smiling again whenever they talked.

Talking with Hannah and Ben had become the highlight of her day. It made her forget about working the same tasks in Niima Junkyard under the heat of the sun. Made her forget Plutt's increasingly lecherous gaze. It eased the ache in her bones, eased her loneliness, her longing for a family. Because Hannah...she _was_ family. Beyond blood ties, the girl had truly become her daughter. The kind that mothers dream about.

Rey smiled to herself. She was a _mother_. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would become one at her age. She had always thought she wouldn't be until she was in her mid to late thirties, when she would no longer be bogged down by loans left over from her grandfather's medical bills. Yet here she was.

What she did to deserve having Hannah in her life, she will never know. The girl was an absolute darling. Smart, charming, funny, diligent, if a little on the mischievous side. More than once, Hannah had sent her jump scare videos, and the girl laughed incessantly whenever she got Rey to scream. Rey was, however, only pretending to be scared. She had pulled the same prank on Finn before. But it made her daughter laugh, so she would always pretend. It was worth it to hear that peal of laughter from her.

Rey sat in front of the desk and booted up her computer, hazel eyes darting towards the calendar. It had been a little over three months since Hannah and Ben came to her life. Three months since they last saw each other. And she missed her. Sure, they got to talk every night, but it just wasn't the same as actually having a face to face conversation, or being able to play, do everything together and just simply being around each other. She knew Hannah was having a difficult time with the long distance as well, but Rey was determined to make it work; determined to be Hannah's mother-the kind the girl deserved-for as long as Ben allowed. Because at the end of the day, Ben really had the last word. He was the one with sole custody; the one with parental rights, not her. And she was grateful to him each and every day for allowing Hannah to be part of her life. She was grateful to him for other things too, like their conversations, the way he listened to her, the attention he gave her, the time...he was a busy man, she knew that, yet he made time not just for his daughter, but for her as well. And that left her with a warm feeling.

She shook her head and logged in to her video call software and waited for Ben to pick up. It didn't take long for him to do so.

"Hi, Rey. How are you?"

She smiled. It was the same question he asked every day when opening a call, but she never seemed to tire of it. It felt good to have someone asking after her. "I'm great. Just had to do some extra work in the junkyard. We got a new shipment. You?"

"Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Drowning in paperwork and reports." Ben shrugged and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his aquiline nose. Strange. She'd always thought his nose too big but now...it actually looked pleasant on his mole-dotted face. "I'll bore you to death if I talk about it so I'd rather not."

Rey let out a short laugh. "So, where's Hannah? Don't tell me she's also drowning in homework again?"

"Yeah." Ben sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with her. I mean, I know it's nearing the end of the semester and she's got exams coming up, but she used to drop everything once you call. Then again, I suppose I should be happy she's so dedicated to her studies."

Rey nodded. For the past few weeks, Hannah had been taking her sweet time answering Rey's nightly video calls to Ben's laptop, which left her and Ben more time to converse. Certainly, Rey could always just call back when her daughter was available, but she could never bring herself to do that. Besides, Ben was a pleasure to talk to.

Rey watched him take a sip from his mug, and found herself fascinated by his lips. Had they always been so plush? Rosy almost?

Ben looked up from his mug. "What?"

"N-Nothing," Rey stammered, floundering for what to say next. "I was just...wondering what that song in the background is." Yeah, that's it, she thought. Talk about that. "I've never heard you play anything in your office before."

"The song?" Ben seemed a little embarrassed. "Hannah plugged in one of my band's CDs before she left to do her homework."

"You mean StarKiller?"

Ben perked up. "You...know my band's name?"

"Of course I do, Ben. Hannah mentioned it and so did you once."

"Yes, but...how'd you remember? I barely spoke about it."

"That's because I listen." Rey grinned.

Ben mirrored her smile. "I know you do. That's why I like talking to you."

Rey paused. The way Ben's eyes widened made it clear to her that he hadn't meant to say that. Not with that much feeling.

"Uhm...I'll go check on Hannah." He was quick to stand up from his office chair and disappear offscreen, leaving Rey to listen to the lyrics of the rock song in the background.

 _I falter, flutter  
Encounter a rough wind  
I can't back down  
Can't let the darkness win  
My wick once more bursts into light  
Ready to enter the fray  
Ready to fight_

 _But sometimes  
I fall, I falter  
My wick peters out  
I fall to the gutter  
It is at that moment  
When all hope seems lost  
That the people around me shine the most_

"She's still doing her homework." Ben reappeared, sitting heavily in his chair. "I already told her you were online. She said she'll be done soon."

"Okay." Rey took a sip of water before setting the glass back on the desk, eyes trained on her computer screen. "You want to tell me about this song?"

"Song? Oh, the song." Ben leaned back in his chair, seeming to ponder for a moment. "The title is 'Light'. It's about hope amidst darkness."

"Yeah, I think I got that. The lyrics are really good. Did you compose it?" Rey pursued, and Ben ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. She could've sworn he was shy about it, and she found it endearing.

"I did, yeah."

"It's so good. Not what I'd imagine a band called StarKiller would sing about," Rey said in jest. "And you have a very good singing voice too, Ben."

He looked up at her then, his glasses reflecting the light of his laptop's screen. "You think so?"

"Yeah. Although…" Rey trailed off. She wasn't sure how to tell him what she really thought of his voice.

"Although...what?" Ben pressed.

She took a moment before continuing. "I think...your voice would be better suited for a different genre. Like musical theater or something."

Ben chuckled. "That's what my bandmates used to say. But none of them could compose or sing for shit, so I had to step in."

She should be startled at his sudden use of profanity, but Rey actually found herself smiling. That meant he must be more comfortable with her now, she thought.

"I used to be part of a choir when I was a kid," Ben continued, putting both his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair. "My mother's twin brother, Uncle Luke was...still is a pastor and I sang in his church. Then in high school, I was part of the drama club. Got to sing in school musicals."

"Me too," Rey admitted, and Ben looked at her with what seemed like awe.

"You sing too?"

"Yeah. Sang in a choir and in school musicals like you." Rey tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm not much of a rock music person though. But I love Broadway musicals."

"So do I." Ben moved his hands from behind his head and crossed his arms over the desk. He was grinning from ear to ear. "Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Wicked, Hamilton...I've watched those quite a few times. I also took Hannah to see the Disney ones, like Little Mermaid, Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, The last one is her favorite."

"I can tell." Rey nodded with a smile. "She sang ' _Something There'_ to me quite a number of times before. I guess it's safe to say she took after both of us when it comes to singing."

"I guess she has."

Rey's smile widened, as did Ben's. There were those dimples on his cheeks again, she thought, and as the silence stretched between them, she found herself getting increasingly flustered.

Ben was the first to break eye contact, ducking his head and running his fingers through his dark hair. "Uhm...Rey...have you ever been to a Broadway musical?"

She shook her head. "No. I've always wanted to go. I did pass by Central Square in Coruscant City back when...when I went there to look for an egg donor clinic nine years ago. Going to see a musical was hardly in my list of priorities that time."

"I see…" Ben trailed off, seemingly deep in thought. "I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you. Struggling to find financial help for your grandfather...being forced into that situation. I read all about egg retrieval. It's no joke."

"No, it's not," Rey agreed, trembling a little when she recalled all the pills she'd had to take, the follicle monitoring, the injections and finally the extraction which left her in pain for days afterwards. "But I'd willingly go through it again if I could just spend a few more minutes with my Grandpa Ben."

Ben was quiet for a moment. "You must really love your grandfather, huh?"

"He was the only parent I've ever known," Rey affirmed, and found herself moving her hands from the table and onto her lap, clasping them tightly together.

"What about your mother and father?"

Rey closed her eyes and hung her head low. Her and Ben's conversation had grown more personal over time, so she knew this question would come up sooner or later. "My parents left me at my grandfather's when I was five. They...never came back for me."

That wasn't entirely true. But she wasn't about to tell Ben the truth about her parents. If he knew, he would probably be less inclined to associate with her.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ben's voice cut through her thoughts, his tone grave.

Rey forced a smile. "Don't be. I don't miss them. My Grandpa Ben was all I needed." .

Ben nodded, then changed the subject much to her relief. "Anyway, about that Broadway musical...would you like to see one with me?"

She grew speechless at the offer. He was quick to add, "With Hannah. With me and Hannah."

Her shoulders drooped, mixed emotions welling up inside her. Was it relief? Disappointment? She didn't want to dwell on it. "Ben, I...I'm not sure."

"Why not? You just said you've always wanted to go," he pointed out, not unkindly. "And besides, it's high time we...you and Hannah see each other again. It's been what, three months?"

"Y-yeah. It has been that long." Rey glanced towards the calendar again. Had he been counting the dates like she had?

She looked down at her lap, where her hands remained clasped. She wanted to say yes, but she didn't want to admit that she didn't have the means to buy a ticket. She had bills and loans to pay, next to no savings and didn't want to spend what meager amount she had left on some luxury.

Almost as if he read her thoughts, Ben said, "I'll take care of the tickets, don't worry. And we'll watch over the weekend so you don't have to miss work. You can stay with us while you're here. We have room to spare."

That made Rey look up. Part of her wanted to jump at the offer immediately. She could certainly use the break, would certainly love to see Hannah again, but she held back. She wasn't used to this level of generosity. Unless there was a price for it.

"What's in it for you?" The words were out before Rey could stop herself, and she instantly regretted it.

"Nothing." Ben seemed flummoxed, if not, a little hurt at the question. "I just want to make Hannah happy. She's been asking me when she will see you again and I've been meaning to bring it up. I just never found the opportunity until now."

Rey felt herself shrink in shame. "I'm sorry, Ben. I'm just...not used to other people being so generous."

"I'm not other people, Rey," he said gently, the softness in his voice making her heart flutter. "I'm your...I'm your co-parent. And I'd like to think that after...after everything, that we've become...friends."

The way he mumbled the last word looked away when he said it perplexed Rey. He was right. They had become friends over the past three months. They talked. They laughed together. They swapped stories and checked on each other. Heck, she had been more in touch with Ben than she had been with Finn and Poe.

So why did it bother her when Ben stated that they were friends?

"Good friends?" Rey ventured in a small voice when Ben remained quiet.

"Good friends," Ben parroted in a serious tone, before he smiled and became more upbeat. "So what do you say, Rey? This weekend with me and Hannah?"

* * *

Hannah continued to draw on her drawing book before glancing at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time. She had finished her homework half an hour ago. She should go down and talk to Rey on Daddy's laptop, but she wanted them to talk for a while longer. It made her daddy very happy to talk to Rey, and she absolutely loved that it did.

She giggled to herself when she remembered the way her daddy smiled whenever he talked to Rey, and how often he would browse through the photos they had taken together back when they first visited her in Jakku (she had spied on him enough to know this). He even had the selfie of all three of them as his laptop wallpaper!

Hannah turned back to her drawing book, shading in the hair colors. She wasn't a great artist, but she thought she did a good job with the drawing of Daddy, herself, and Rey. She was in the middle of course, holding her mommy and daddy's hands. She'll have Daddy put this on the refrigerator door, along with her other drawings. She hoped he would appreciate this one.

Soft knocks echoed from her door. "Hannah? Can I come in?"

"Come in, Daddy!" Hannah called, closed her drawing book and sat up in bed just as her daddy entered the room.

"You'll never guess who's coming over for the weekend."

Hannah tilted her head. "Grandma?"

He shook his head. "Guess again."

She scrunched up his face. Who else could be coming over that even Daddy was excited? She tried to think hard but when she saw the way her daddy smiled-the same smile he wore whenever he talked to Rey-she immediately stood up from bed. "Rey? Rey's coming?"

Her daddy nodded, and an excited scream burst out of her before she ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. "Thank you, Daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You have to thank Rey too," her daddy chuckled, ruffling her hair. "She's waiting for you on video call."

Hannah squealed and bounded down the stairs, her mind already running through all the possibilities. A weekend with Rey! Two whole days for them to spend time together as a family! Two whole days for her mommy and daddy to be together! And she was going to make sure she won't get in the way.


	11. Chapter 11

Unlike the desert town of Jakku, Coruscant was an elevated city, which meant temperatures were a lot cooler. Ben had told her as much so Rey brought along some of her thicker clothes for warmth. She had initially gone out in just a shirt and a pair of jeans, but the higher up she traveled in her grandfather's red pickup truck, the colder it got, and she'd had to stop to put on a sweater. No wonder Hannah had been in warm clothes when she first appeared on her doorstep.

She took a quick glance at her phone's GPS to make sure she was going in the right direction. Ben had initially offered to pick her up, but she declined, saying it would be too inconvenient for him to travel to Jakku and back to Coruscant again. It made more sense that she be the one to make the trip, and he had reluctantly agreed. She was also supposed to travel on Saturday morning, but she wanted to have a little more time. So, she had worked up the nerve to ask Plutt for half the day off on Friday so she could travel in the afternoon. He had surprisingly agreed, and she thanked him, smiling despite the hungry look he gave her. She wouldn't allow Plutt to dampen her excitement at being able to spend an extra half day with her daughter. She had been looking forward to this trip for the past two days; looking forward to holding Hannah in her arms again.

Once she arrived in the city, she couldn't help but look every which way. Coruscant had so much life in it; so many people going about their business, so many shops, cafes, restaurants and tall buildings. She had been to the city before of course, but she hadn't had time to take in the sights and sounds.

She checked the GPS again and continued to drive until she reached an upscale neighborhood. The houses that lined the street were impressive and diverse; a combination of old and new architecture, with a few Victorian houses situated alongside more modern dwellings.

Her phone soon indicated that she had arrived at her destination. She stopped the truck and poked her head out the window, staring wide-eyed at the house before her. It was a modern, two story gray structure consisting of minimalist lines and angles and lots of tall glass windows. It had a spacious yard of well-trimmed grass, and a two-car garage situated beside the house.

Rey looked at the house number as well as the mailbox. There was no mistaking it. This was Ben's house. And it was huge . Why, her grandfather's old wooden bungalow could probably fit in there, and she suddenly felt small.

"Rey!"

Rey turned to the direction of the voice and sure enough, saw Ben Solo emerging from the house in a bluegreen sweater and black pants. His smile was warm and welcoming as he approached her truck, and for the moment at least, she forgot her feelings of inadequacy. However, other inexplicable feelings arose especially when she saw his smile reach his bespectacled eyes and how boyish he looked despite being in his late thirties. The other thing she noticed was how well-built he was. She hadn't been able to make out his physique clearly back when he had barged into her house in a suit, and it didn't help that his webcam distorted his body features during their video calls. But now, seeing him in the flesh again and in more casual clothes that showed off more of his build...it sent a rush through her that was difficult to ignore.

Ben stopped a few feet away from her vehicle and pointed to the side. Rey saw that he was holding what looked like a small remote in his hand, and with a press of a button, the garage door slowly opened.

"You can park in there," he said, walking alongside her as she maneuvered the truck into the garage next to a dark blue Mustang. She had been around enough scrapped cars in Niima Junkyard to recognize the model, and she felt embarrassed parking her old pickup truck next to such a beauty.

Turning off the engine and slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder, Rey disembarked from the truck and faced Ben. There was enough space between the two vehicles for them not to be cramped, but she felt like they were far too close. She could even make out almost every mole on his face.

Ben took a step towards her, and she felt mild panic set in. Was she supposed to hug him? Kiss his cheek maybe? Sure, they had become familiar with each other, but they had never greeted each other in real life before.

Ben started to lift his arms from his sides, a lopsided grin on his lips. Was he going in for a hug? He must be. Then she should hug him back, right?

Before she lost her nerve, Rey quickly closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him in an awkward embrace before she rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

He pulled back almost immediately, and she withdrew from the embrace. His eyes were wide and his grin had vanished. Oh God, did she do it wrong? Was she too forward? Lord, this was embarrassing! And it wasn't supposed to be. They were friends, for God's sake. They'd been in touch for months. So why was all this so uncomfortable?

Desperate to get past the awkwardness, she turned her attention to his car. "You have a gorgeous car. 1968 Ford Mustang GT right?"

"Yeah." Ben made a show of leaning against the hood of the Mustang with an elbow, chest puffed up, other hand in his pocket. "It was my father's. It used to be this beat up old thing but he and Uncle Chewie restored it." He paused for a bit and said, "I'm guessing you've probably seen a few of these and other cars in the junkyard?"

Rey nodded. "I have. Some classics make their way to Niima, and I always feel sorry at having to tear them down. A few of them could still be restored." She stepped closer and ran a hand across the side of the hood. "Is this the only car you have?"

"Yeah. The one and only."

"So how come you have a two-car garage?"

"The extra space is for Hannah's car," Ben explained. "I plan to buy her one when she turns sixteen."

"I see," Rey mumbled. Hannah wanted for nothing. Ben was perfectly capable of providing everything she needed and wanted. As for her, there was nothing she could give the girl that her father couldn't give tenfold. Would Hannah even still want her in her life in the coming years? Would she even still be in Hannah and Ben's lives when the girl turned sixteen?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Ben asked, shaking her from her musings.

Trying her best to hide a pang of sadness, she turned to him with a smile. "Where's Hannah? I'd love to see her."

"She's still in the kitchen. We were cooking spaghetti and meatballs when I heard your truck," he said. "I remember you said that's your favorite food so we decided it would be perfect for tonight's dinner."

Rey's smile widened. "When did I say that?"

"You remember when we were at your house, and Hannah asked you those list of questions?"

"Yes, but that was months ago."

"Well, I still remember." Ben beamed at her the way he usually did during their calls, and Rey finally relaxed and smiled back. "Let me take your bag. Then we'll go and see how Hannah's doing in the kitchen."

Rey handed over her duffel bag by the strap, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach when Ben's fingers brushed over hers. She followed him out of the garage and into the house, where she found herself gaping at almost everything. The walls were painted in white and gray, with dark wood panelings here and there. The furniture, drapes, carpets and even the paintings above the fireplace all had muted colors. There were a few noteworthy exceptions though, like the framed photos of Hannah over the mantle as well as some of her smaller, brightly colored princess figurines. Overall, the inside of the house had the same minimalist, almost monochromatic aesthetic as the outside. Very modern.

Ben turned to her and asked, "Well? What do you think of the house?"

"It's beautiful." She hesitated for a bit, and she knew Ben picked up on it.

"I hear a 'but' coming on." He grinned.

Rey chewed on her lower lip. "It...doesn't really feel like a little girl lives here. It's like a bachelor's pad."

Ben laughed. "Technically, I still am a bachelor. But you're right, the house could use some feminine touch. Maybe you can help me out with that."

"Maybe." Rey felt the tension in her shoulders fade away. She was glad he didn't take offense at what she had said.

"Kitchen's right here." He walked further into the house and Rey followed, still staring at her surroundings, stopping only when the sweet smell of spaghetti sauce wafted through the hallway.

"Guess who's here, sweetheart?" Ben called, just as they turned towards the spacious, modern kitchen. Hannah was on a stool in a pink sweater and printed leggings, stirring sauce in a pot. She immediately stopped what she was doing, squealing as she jumped down the stool and ran towards Rey.

With a wide smile, Rey knelt down and opened her arms, Hannah quickly rushing into them and hugging her for dear life.

"Oh my God, oh my God, you're here! Rey, you're here!" the girl kept saying, as though she couldn't believe it. "You're finally here! I'm so happy!"

"I'm happy too, sweetie." Rey almost choked on her words, her heart bursting with so much warmth. She knew she had missed her daughter dearly, but she didn't realize how much until now, and she pressed her nose into the girl's hair, inhaling the sweet scent of strawberry shampoo with just the faintest hint of the spaghetti sauce she had been cooking.

Kissing Hannah's cheek, she pulled back from the hug and beamed at the happiness and adoration in Hannah's cute little face. It had been a long time since someone looked at her that way. It was the same look Grandpa Ben gave her whenever she did something that pleased him.

"I got you something." She stood up and turned to Ben, and with her bag still slung over his shoulder, she unzipped it to take out a purple teddy bear, which was patched up with cloth in certain places. "Your Daddy told me you like fixing up your toys. I do too. This…" she stared at the bear fondly, "...this is Mr. Jingles. He was one of the first gifts my grandfather... your great-grandfather Benedict gave me when I was a little girl. Now he's yours."

"Really?" Hannah seemed genuinely in awe as she took Mr. Jingles in her hands. "You kept him with you for years and years?"

Rey nodded. "I used to not be able to sleep unless I was hugging him. He's still precious to me, but I know you will take care of him. And this way at least, when I leave, you'll have something of me with you."

Hannah's smile brightened at that, and she hugged to her, swaying from side to side as she did. "I'll take good care of him. I promise. Let's go put him on my bed now."

"You two go ahead," Ben said, putting Rey's bag on the kitchen counter. "I'll finish cooking."

Rey felt Hannah tug on her hand, and she followed the girl through the hallway and up the stairs until they arrived in front of the only pink door she had seen thus far. All the rest of the doors were a dark shade of brown.

Hannah opened the door, and Rey felt her heart sink. She had seen glimpses of Hannah's room back when they had their video calls on her phone, but to see the shelves of clearly expensive dolls and stuffed toys further drove home that whatever she gave Hannah would pale in comparison to what Ben could give her.

For the briefest of moments, she found herself resenting Ben, but she was quick to chase the feeling away. He couldn't help that he had better circumstances and a better life than hers. She shouldn't hold that against him. In fact, she should be happy that Hannah was not only well taken care of, but obviously loved. Still, it did little to quell this bout of sadness within her.

"Mr. Jingles will be staying in bed with me," Hannah declared, disrupting Rey's thoughts. She watched as her daughter carefully placed the teddy bear in her pink bed and tucked him in before she turned to her with a grin. "Thank you, Rey. I'll be sleeping beside him from now on, like you did."

Rey tried to hold a smile. "You don't have to, Hannah. You have lots of other toys that you can take to bed with you."

"Yes, but Mr. Jingles is special because he's from my mommy. I already have lots of toys from Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa," Hannah said, sitting on the edge of her bed and reaching out to pat Mr. Jingles on the head. The gesture touched Rey, and she felt her heart swell with feeling. "How old were you when you got him?"

"I was five." She sat down next to her daughter and ran her fingers through the girl's long, black, wavy hair. So much like her father's. She wondered if Ben's hair was just as soft to the touch. She quickly pushed away the thought.

"Did you get Mr. Jingles for your birthday?" Hannah shifted so she was facing her, looking up expectantly. The girl wanted to know more about the story.

Rey bit her lip. Should she tell her? Perhaps she should, she thought. Her relationship with her biological daughter had long passed the getting-to-know-you stage. Becoming a little more personal wouldn't hurt.

With a deep breath, she said, "My parents left me at my grandfather's when I was five. I cried almost everyday after that, and I only stopped after Grandpa Ben gave me Mr. Jingles. I slept every night hugging Mr. Jingles and didn't stop until I was about thirteen or fourteen. I couldn't bear to throw him away even after I outgrew him, so I kept him."

Hannah nodded and looked away for a moment, seemingly deep in thought before she turned back to Rey again. "Did your parents come back for you?"

"Yes and no." Rey paused for a bit to choose her words carefully. She didn't want Hannah to know the whole sob story, but she didn't want to lie either. "My parents came back once in a while, but it wasn't to take me with them. It was to talk to my grandfather. After a few years, they just stopped coming."

"Why didn't they take you with them?" Hannah asked.

"They didn't take me with them because they didn't want to." They didn't want me, Rey thought.

"Why didn't they want to?"

Rey opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it. There were truths that were best told when the girl was old enough to understand.

She let out a tight smile. "It doesn't matter, Hannah."

Hannah was quiet for a while, swinging her legs slowly at the edge of the bed before stopping to turn to Rey, her hazel eyes glassy. "Does that mean that one day, you won't want me anymore too?"

Rey's eyes grew wide with alarm, and she quickly took both her daughter's hands in hers to reassure her. "No, honey. That's never going to happen, alright? I'm not going to let you experience what I experienced with my parents."

Hannah sniffled a bit. "You promise?"

"I promise," Rey swore, and reached out to pull Hannah into a tight hug. No, she wasn't going to allow her daughter to go through the pain she went through. Not if she could help it.

Knocks reverberated from the door, and Ben poked his head inside. "Girls, dinner's ready."

"Yey! I'm starving!" Hannah jumped off the bed, all worries seemingly forgotten as she once again tugged on Rey's hand. Rey allowed herself to be swept up by her daughter's excitement as they made their way downstairs and towards the dining room, Ben following closely behind.

Once in the dining room, Ben pulled the chair out for Rey while Hannah plopped down on the chair across her. He then sat at the head of the table and started digging into the pasta when Hannah tugged at his sleeve.

"Daddy, say grace."

"Oh, right." Ben put away his utensils and clasped his hands together. Rey followed suit. "We thank-"

"Let's hold hands when we say grace," Hannah interrupted, then grabbed her father's hand before extending her free hand to Rey across the table. "It's how my friends at school do it with their families."

Rey smiled at that and took the girl's small hand in hers. She then turned to Ben, who was looking at her expectantly, his hand extended to her. She hesitated for a moment before taking it, and she felt her heart race when his fingers slid beneath her palm, his thumb over her knuckles, holding her.

She looked at him then, and he let out a small smile before closing his eyes in prayer. "Thank you for the food, thank you for another day, thank you for the gift of family, for the blessings showered upon us. Thank you for the safety You provided Rey, and may she continue to be safe in her future travels. Amen."

"Amen," Rey and Hannah said at the same time before letting go, and for some inexplicable reason, Rey took a while to let go of Ben's hand. Whether it was him, or her, she wasn't sure, but the warmth of his fingers lingered. The smoothness of them. And she felt ashamed. He probably felt her calluses.

"We say grace now," Hannah informed Rey as Ben piled spaghetti on to his daughter's plate. "I learned it from you and now me and Daddy do it before we eat."

"That's great, honey." Rey beamed. She did Remember Hannah telling her back when she first visited her in Jakku that she and her daddy didn't say grace. She was happy that had changed too.

Dinner that night was a pleasant affair. They ate and talked until the dishes were empty, with Hannah dominating most of the conversation with her talk of school and friends. Rey shared her own stories of her elementary school days as did Ben, and she soon realized how vastly different their childhoods had been. She went to public school. Both Hannah and Ben went to private schools. Some of the best in the country in fact. Ben went to Harvard Business School, and he hoped one day, Hannah would have an Ivy League education.

"What about you, Rey?" Ben turned his attention to her. "Where did you go to college?"

"Outer Rim State College," Rey said in a small voice. "I was studying to be a teacher. Like my grandfather."

"You make a great teacher, Rey!" Hannah exclaimed. "You've helped me a lot with my homework during our calls. Did I tell you my grades improved?"

"Yes, you did." Rey pressed her lips together, hoping the topic would steer towards something else but Ben seemed to still be interested.

"So why didn't you pursue teaching?" he asked, elbows on the table and hands templed beneath his chin. "Why work at Niima Junkyard?"

"I...wasn't able to finish college." She lowered her gaze to her empty plate. "I was in my first year when Grandpa got diagnosed so I had to drop out and work."

"Oh." Ben looked down at his own plate. "I'm sorry Rey. I should've known that was the case."

"It's okay," Rey reassured. "I would do it again in a heartbeat. My grandpa meant everything to me. So dropping out was an easy choice to make."

"Why don't you go back to college now?" Hannah asked.

"It's not that simple, sweetie. I have a lot of responsibilities now," Rey explained. "Besides, I'm too old to go back to college."

"No one's too old for school," Ben said gently. "And you're still young, Rey. You can still get that teaching degree."

"I suppose so." Rey smiled at them both before slowly standing up to gather the plates. She really didn't want to talk about school and degrees anymore. "Anyway, I think it's time we wash the dishes."

"Let me." Ben stood up and took the plates from Rey. "I just gotta put these in the dishwasher and we'll be all set."

Dishwasher, Rey thought. Right. Of course they would have one.

After Ben had put the dishes in the dishwasher, he turned to her and said, "Would you like a tour of the house?"

"Sure." She nodded, sounding more enthusiastic than she actually felt. She had already seen enough of the house's opulence to make her feel more than a little insignificant, but she knew Ben was just trying to be a good host, so she followed him through the house, Hannah holding her hand as they walked through the hallways and up the stairs.

The house had a total of five bedrooms and three bathrooms, one of which was in the master's bedroom, where Ben slept. His room was just across Hannah's. His study was downstairs, full of books both fiction and non-fiction. They also had an entertainment room, with a large flatscreen TV, video game consoles, bean bags and a few exercise equipment.

"Your house is beautiful, Ben," Rey reiterated as they returned to the kitchen area, where Hannah had to stop by to get a drink. "But it's so big. How do you manage to keep it so clean?"

"We have a cleaning staff come over a few times a week," Ben said as-a-matter-of-factly, and Rey thought, of course. Cleaning staff. Why would she think Ben would even have the time to clean the entire place?

"Why so many rooms though?" she asked, still quite curious. "It's just you and Hannah, right?"

"For now." He shrugged. "After Hannah was born, my mother had the idea that I'd get married soon so she had me buy this house. She wanted me to fill it with grandkids." He paused, then chuckled. "Fat chance of that happening."

"You never know, Ben," Rey encouraged. "You might find someone just yet."

"Yeah, maybe." He looked at her with a smile, and it was the softest expression she had ever seen him wear. And the way his dimples deepened and his eyes crinkled made her feel warm all over.

"Maybe you already found someone, Daddy," Hannah chimed in. Ben laughed, quite nervously Rey thought, as he knelt down to pick Hannah up and throw the girl over his shoulder, making her squeal and laugh. He then grabbed Rey's duffel bag from the kitchen counter. She had forgotten they had left it there.

"I'm going to put your bag in your room now," Ben said. "You'll be sleeping in the room next to Hannah's. Meanwhile, you can wait for us in the entertainment room."

* * *

The remainder of that Friday night was spent with them playing Mario Kart on Hannah's Nintendo Switch. Rey had never played on a console before. Sure, she had a few games installed on her computer but Solitaire and Minesweeper didn't exactly hold a candle to console gaming. She had to have Ben and Hannah teach her, and more often than not, Ben's fingers would brush against hers as he taught her how to use the joystick. It distracted her, how smooth his fingers felt against the roughness of hers, how massive his hands were. Her own hands practically disappeared in his.

Pretty soon, she was keeping up with father and daughter, and though she didn't win a single race, it felt good to have played alongside them, to share in their excitement, to laugh together and play together.

They didn't stop playing until Hannah began to yawn.

"Alright, kiddo. Time for bed." Ben rose from the bean bag beside Rey and put away the console before helping both her and Hannah to their feet.

"I-I'll help Hannah get ready for bed," Rey stammered when Ben's hand lingered over hers, though he immediately let go when she started to extricate her fingers from his.

"Daddy, can I sleep in Rey's room tonight?" Hannah mumbled sleepily.

"Of course you can, sweetheart." Ben leaned down to plant a kiss on his daughter's forehead. "You can even sleep there tomorrow night too. If it's okay with Rey of course."

"Yes, of course!" Rey was only too quick to jump at the suggestion, and she reached out to hold Hannah's hand in hers.

"Great." Ben beamed. "Let's head upstairs then and call it a night."

* * *

The house was quiet. Too quiet, Ben thought, especially after all the conversations, the laughter he, Rey and Hannah had shared over the course of the evening. Now that everyone, except for him was asleep, the silence made his thoughts that much louder.

He tossed and turned in his king-sized bed, not quite finding a comfortable enough position. The digital alarm clock on the bedside table indicated that it was past one in the morning. That would make it roughly two hours since he first tried going to sleep. Damn.

He lay on his back and stared into the darkness, trying to black out his thoughts but he could still see the sparkle in Rey's hazel eyes, the brightness of her smile, the cute dimples on her cheeks, the melody in her laughter. But more than anything, he could still feel her hand in his, roughened more likely from years of manual labor...and yet, he didn't feel repulsed by it. In fact, he craved for more. Her touch. Her warmth. He would be lying if he said he didn't take every opportunity to brush his fingers against hers because he damned well did while doing his best not to be so obvious. And it had all started because of that embrace they shared in the garage.

Ben groaned and covered his eyes with the back of a closed fist. He hadn't intended to hug her. Not that he hadn't wanted to, but he felt it was still too soon for what he considered to be an intimate greeting, so he had reached out to take her duffel bag from her instead. Only, Rey had stepped forward and thrown her arms around him.

And planted a kiss on his cheek.

Absently, he reached out to touch the spot where Rey's lips had been. He could still remember the softness of those lips against his cheek, still remember the feel of her in his arms, so much so that he had begun longing for her touch. Took every chance he could get to touch her. To be close to her. He had practically sat shoulder to shoulder with her in the entertainment room, and it had taken all his willpower not to smell her hair.

He felt like a fucking creep.

He turned to his side, punched his pillow a few times before glaring at the digital clock. This was absolutely insane. She had only been here a few hours and already he was acting like some lovesick teenager. Not that he was in love with her. He liked her, sure. Really, really, really liked her. But love? No, this was just because he'd been so lonely, so starved for connection that he latched on to the first woman who really paid attention to him.

Pathetic.

Maybe he should just get laid. Get this out of his system. It had been forever since he was last intimate, but even the thought of betraying Rey made him sick to his stomach.

He blinked. Betraying Rey? Why would he even be betraying her? They weren't even a thing!

Though Lord knows he wanted them to be…

"Fuck!" He flipped onto his stomach and muffled his screams into the pillow. No. Just no. It wouldn't work. Him and her...they could never work. This long distance shit never worked.

Except it did. He knew that. He and Rey had been in a long distance relationship as friends and co-parents for the past few months and it was working. There was no reason to believe a romantic relationship wouldn't…

He cursed loudly again. Why was he torturing himself into believing he had a chance? He wasn't exactly the most conventionally attractive or charming man in the world. In fact, most of the women he had been with had only been after his money. At least, that was what it felt like to him. With Rey though, he never felt that. She was genuine. And honest.

Well...not completely honest, if what he had overheard earlier was anything to go by, his thoughts now wandering back to when he had gone to up to Hannah's room to call the girls to dinner. Hannah's door had been slightly ajar then, and he had heard Rey talk about her parents actually returning from time to time, when she had told him before that they never came back for her.

Then again, he had also overheard her tell Hannah that they only came back to talk to her grandfather and not because they wanted to take her with them. The sadness in Rey's voice then...the clear pain in it...it made him want to take her in his arms and tell her she was wanted and loved. By Hannah. By…

He sprang up from bed, grabbed his glasses from the bedside table, slipped on his bedroom slippers and marched towards the door. No way, he wasn't going to finish that train of thought. He was going to go to the kitchen, make himself a nightcap and head back to bed. End of story. No more thinking. No more reminiscing. No more-

He swung his door open and froze. Rey was standing in the hallway, looking just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

"Ben! You're still awake," she declared, her eyes moving up and down before she quickly looked away. It was then that he realized he was only in his pajama pants. "A...Aren't you cold?"

"No. No. I'm just, uhm…" He trailed off before hastily grabbing his robe from the coat rack nearby and putting it on. "Yeah, you're right. It is cold. I don't know what I was thinking, going out without my robe on. Why are you still awake?"

The words had tumbled out of his lips one after the other. It was amazing he still made sense, but he was so obviously nervous, he wanted to punch himself in the face.

Rey didn't seem to notice though. "I couldn't sleep. I'm not used to sleeping in other people's houses."

"Oh." Ben closed his door, stupidly staring at his hand on the doorknob for a moment longer before he let go. "I'm heading down for a nightcap. Care to join me?"

Rey didn't say anything, but she did nod and began following him down to the kitchen.

"How's Hannah?" Ben asked to cut through the silence. "She didn't keep you up, did she?"

"Oh, no. She fell asleep almost immediately," Rey answered then fell quiet again. Ben swallowed nervously, floundering for something else to say but decided to shut up.

Once in the kitchen, he flipped on the switch, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness before making his way towards his mini bar.

"I know a few cocktail recipes," he said, pulling a bottle out before returning it and repeating the same action with different bottles. Keep it together, Solo! "What would you like? A Hot Toddy? Brandy Alexander? Maybe some Lavender Honey Cream?"

"Just warm milk please," Rey said.

"Right. I forgot you don't drink alcohol." Shit. Could he just kick himself in the head already? "Sorry about that."

"It's okay, Ben. Do you need help?" He saw Rey begin to stand up from the stool by the kitchen's island counter, and he quickly held up a hand to stop her.

"No, I got this." He returned the bottle he was holding back into the bar and headed for his double door refrigerator. Fuck it. If she was just going to have some warm milk, then so was he.

After he microwaved a couple of mugs of milk, he carefully made his way to the kitchen island and sat across Rey, sliding one of the mugs towards her. She thanked him and began taking a few sips. He did the same, doing his best not to stare, even as his eyes took her in. Her chestnut brown hair was down instead of the usual top bun she wore, and it cascaded down her shoulder, ending near her collarbone, which peeked out from beneath her robe. When he found himself moving his gaze lower, he hastily looked away.

She put her mug down gently. "So, Ben...why couldn't you sleep?"

It was small talk. He knew she was just making small talk. Nothing to be nervous about. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

About you . "Just...things. Plans for tomorrow...or rather, later today and all that."

Rey nodded and took a few more sips from her mug. Ben was quick to notice how she wouldn't meet his eyes.

He tilted his head. "Rey? Is something bothering you?"

She didn't answer. Not immediately. "Hannah...she's very lucky, you know? To have you as her father. To have the comforts that she has."

"She's lucky to have you as her mother too you know," Ben pointed out.

"Is she?" Rey said in a small voice, eyes lowered to her mug. "I mean, I don't even have much to give her. Not the comforts, not expensive gifts or toys and-"

"Is that what this is all about?" Ben asked. He was genuinely perplexed, even more so when Rey seemed to shrink in her chair. "Rey, no one's asking you to provide for Hannah. That's my job. Always has been even before you came into the picture."

She sighed. "I know, I know, it's just...I want to be able to provide for her too."

Ben shook his head. "Rey...you're already giving more than give her your time. You go above and beyond to be there for her despite the distance. You give her the love of a mother that she has been craving for almost her whole life."

"Yes, but I just don't feel that it's enough. That I'm not enough." She sounded sad. Defeated. And the way she talked made Ben think she was trying to hold back tears. "I guess I'm just afraid that one day, she won't need me anymore. I've really grown to love her and the thought of her not wanting me around anymore…it just..."

Rey started to choke on her words. Without thinking, Ben reached out to put his hand over hers. "Hey. That's not going to happen. You've got to give our daughter a bit more credit than that. In fact, you gotta give yourself a bit more credit. You're a wonderful mother, Rey. And Hannah will always want you in her life. She loves you too."

"That's the thing, Ben. I don't even know if I'm doing this mother thing right." He felt her fingers curl into a fist beneath his palm. "I don't exactly have the best role model when it comes to being a mother."

"Is it because your mother left you behind and never came back for you?" he asked gently. Rey grew still for a moment, and he watched as her eyes frantically searched his before she lowered her gaze to where his hand covered hers.

"Yes," she said, almost in a whisper. "Although...she and my father did come back. They-"

"They only came back to talk to your grandfather, I know," Ben finished, making Rey look up at him. "I...overheard you talking to Hannah earlier. I didn't mean to."

A moment of silence passed between them. Then, he felt her extricate her hand from his and move it underneath the counter. He did the same with both his hands, his head hung low. Did he just fuck things up?

It took a while before Rey spoke again.

"My parents never wanted me," she said, her voice so heavy with sadness, Ben felt the weight of it in his heart. "Truth is, I wasn't even supposed to be born. My mother wanted an abortion but her father-my Grandpa Ben-convinced her not to. Even paid her just so she wouldn't get rid of me."

Ben swallowed. He was at a loss for words, and so he remained quiet as Rey continued.

"I don't remember much of what life was like with my parents. Only that they were barely around. They often left me at my grandfather's while they...while they went off to get drunk or get high." She looked at him then, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes. "My parents were junkies and drunkards, Ben. They could barely hold jobs and what little money they had, they used up on drugs and booze, which left me with barely anything to eat."

Ben swallowed thickly. "Is that why you're averse to alcohol?"

Rey nodded slowly, growing silent for a moment before continuing. "By the time I was five, I had grown so dangerously thin that the next time my grandpa saw me, he insisted I live with him. But my mother and her partner-my father-didn't want to give me up unless it was for a price. So my grandpa paid them off."

Ben felt his teeth clench and his jaw tighten, his fists shaking with the need to punch something.

"I cried a lot, especially the first few nights after they left me," Rey soldiered on. "My grandpa did his best to fill the void left by my parents, but I still wanted to be with them. To be wanted by them despite everything. So when they came back, I was so happy. Only...only they didn't come back for me. They came back to ask my grandpa for more money in exchange for letting him keep me. If he refused, they'd threaten to take me back."

Ben's nostrils flared. He didn't think he could get any angrier than he already was, but he did his best to keep his cool.

"They continued doing the same thing for the next few years." Rey's voice started to crack. "Grandpa had to sell his car and his old house so he could keep up with their increasing demands. Had to settle for a beat up old pickup truck and move us from Tatooine County to our small bungalow in Jakku Town. I think Grandpa was hoping they wouldn't find us there, but they eventually did. They continued to milk him for every last dime and when they finally realized he had nothing left to give, they disappeared to God knows where." Rey grew quiet again, and Ben watched her expression turn dark. "I still can't forgive them for what they did...for crippling Grandpa financially that he couldn't even go to a doctor until it was too late. I'd had to drop out of school and work while Grandpa took out medical loans. I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for Plutt."

"Plutt?" Ben repeated, his mind turning back to past conversations with her. "You mean your boss, Unkar Plutt? Why?"

"He's the loan guarantor," Rey informed, making Ben raise his eyebrows. "He was the only one who would accept, and I have been working for him ever since to pay off my grandfather's medical loans." She looked away then, and Ben suddenly felt like there was more that she wasn't telling him, but he wasn't going to pry. She would talk when she was ready, just like she was opening up to him now. He wasn't going to force her. "Anyway, that's my story. Sorry for dumping this all on you."

"No need to apologize," he said. "I'm glad you told me. At least now I have a better understanding of your situation." It was true. He understood her far better now-all her insecurities, her desire to be loved and wanted-it all stemmed from a childhood so far removed from his own.

He downed the rest of his mug of milk, which had since grown cold. He used to think his parents neglectful when he was growing up, but hearing Rey's story brought him some much needed perspective.

"I suppose I wanted to tell you sooner," Rey admitted, also finishing up the rest of her milk. "But I didn't want you to think less of me."

"What? No." Ben shook his head vigorously. "Never. This doesn't change a thing, Rey. You're not your parents. You're you. And you're one of the most wonderful people I've ever met."

Rey smiled at him then, and he swore her face practically glowed. "Thank you, Ben. I appreciate that."

Ben straightened in his seat, his chest puffed up with pride and something else. Something warm and fuzzy and soft. Could this be…

No, no, it couldn't be. He just had a newfound respect for her, that's all. A better appreciation for who she was as a person. What he was feeling...it was just appreciation. Admiration. Deep-seated admiration for the woman she had become despite her unfortunate upbringing. She was strong. Far stronger than she knows despite all her insecurities. Insecurities that he wanted to melt away if given the chance. He wanted to take care of her if he could. To be there for her during her ups and downs. To be the man that she deserved.

And that was when it hit him.

He was in love.

He was in love with Rey Kenobi.

Fuck.


	12. Chapter 12

Last night felt like a dream. It had been a long time since she had that much fun. Certainly, others would think of conversations over dinner and playing video games would be a bit on the mundane side, but Rey found that it filled a void in her life left behind when her grandfather passed on. It was a void that Finn, Poe, and even their corgi BB-8 used to fill, but that had been before they moved to D'Qar City a couple of years ago. With conversations and visits from her friends few and far between, Rey had resigned herself to a life of loneliness until that fateful day when her biological daughter showed up at her doorstep.

Propping herself up in bed with an elbow, Rey smiled down at Hannah, still sleeping with Mr. Jingles tucked in one arm. It was morning, but the curtains kept the room dim enough for the little girl to continue sleeping, and Rey hoped to keep it that way. She didn't want to wake Hannah up from a sound sleep. Growing girls like her needed as much sleep as possible.

Rey ran her fingers through the waves of Hannah's soft, dark hair. She still wasn't sure if she was doing this motherhood thing right. All she knew was that she wasn't going to do what her own mother did. Rey loved her daughter. Loved her as though she gave birth to her herself, and it was something she never thought possible. Was it the call of the blood? Was it because of how they bonded through their constant communication? Probably both. Either way, she could no longer imagine life without Hannah, and she once again found herself thankful to Ben for allowing this.

Leaning down to kiss Hannah's cheek, Rey carefully got out of bed and grabbed one of the robes Ben had left for her to use before heading down the kitchen to make breakfast. It was still around six or seven on a non-working Saturday morning, so she assumed Ben was still asleep too. Which was why she was surprised to see him awake, sitting at the kitchen's island counter, idly stirring a mug of steaming coffee. Even more jarring was that he was shirtless, just like several hours earlier, when he had come out of his room for a nightcap. It made Rey uncomfortable, mostly because of how it made her feel; like there was a furnace inside of her. She had seen a shirtless man before of course, but she had never had this much of a reaction to it. He wasn't chiseled like those actors in the movies or the models in magazines. He was defined in some places, but mostly he was just massive. Easy on the eyes though.

As if sensing he wasn't alone, Ben looked up and instantly straightened in his seat. "Rey! G-Good morning."

"Good morning, Ben." Rey wrapped her arms around herself and stepped further into the kitchen. It wasn't until then that she noticed he didn't have his glasses on. They were on the counter beside phone. He must've been reading or browsing or something before she came in and he looked...different without them. Like years younger, if it weren't for the bags under his eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really, no." Ben's lips tilted up into a half smile as he ran his fingers through his hair. Rey suddenly remembered the feel of Hannah's hair through her fingers earlier.

"So the warm milk wasn't effective?" Rey asked.

Ben shook his head. "Afraid not."

Her lips flattened into a straight line. "Would alcohol have been better for you?"

"I don't think it would have made a difference." He sighed, then rested his face on his hand and stared at the wall. He was zoning out again, Rey thought, just like last night after they had talked in this very kitchen. She'd had to call his attention twice before he blinked and hastily said they should call it a night.

She decided to sit down in front of him, directly in his line of vision, which made him sit up from his slouched position. "Penny for your thoughts, Benjamin?"

"Don't call me that. Only my mother calls me that." He didn't sound like he was reprimanding her, though he did wear a scowl. "And she only ever calls me that when she's pissed at me."

"I'm not your mother, and I'm not pissed," Rey pointed out, grinning. He was pouting. It was cute. "No? Not Benjamin then? What about Benny? Benny boy?"

"My Uncle Chewie calls me that." This time, Ben smiled back. "I keep reminding him I'm not seven anymore but he still sees me as a kid."

"I understand. I think parental figures will always see us as kids even though we're already adults. Why, I probably would still call Hannah 'sweetie' or 'honey' well into her thirties or something." Rey started to laugh, but caught herself when she realized what she had just said. "I mean...if I'm still in her life by that time, that is."

"Why wouldn't you be?" Ben sounded startled and confused at the same time.

"Anything could happen in the coming years," Rey said, trying to sound casual even as her stomach churned at the thought of no longer being in her daughter's life.

Ben's expression turned serious. "You know you'll always be part of Hannah's life right? That I'm going to make sure of that?"

"I know you will. I guess I just have this thing about...about people leaving..." Rey trailed off and lowered her gaze. Her insecurities were showing again and she hated herself for it.

"We're not leaving you, Rey," Ben said with an earnestness that made her look up at him. "Hannah and I are not leaving. Not like your parents did. We'll be here for as long as you'll have us."

He sounded serious. And he was looking at her with an intensity she had never seen before. It made her heart race. And she felt...relieved.

She let out a sigh and smiled softly. "Thank you, Ben. I'm sorry if it seems like I need to be reassured all the time…"

"It's okay, Rey. I understand." Ben reached out to put his hand over hers. It was a friendly gesture, Rey thought, meant to reassure her just like the night before, but it felt oddly intimate.

"Your hand is so smooth," she blurted out without thinking, and felt her cheeks grow warm. "I mean...mine are quite rough, so…"

"I don't mind it. That's a sign of hard work." Ben smiled. "The only reason mine are smooth is because I push pencils for a living."

"Don't say that." Rey let out an exasperated sigh. "You do important work, you know that. Your employees depend on you for their livelihood."

Ben shrugged, still not letting go of her hand. "Sometimes I feel like I'm not really doing much of anything, you know? So it's good to have you around to remind me."

Rey didn't think her cheeks could feel any warmer, but they did, and she withdrew her hand from his. She wasn't sure she wanted to understand exactly what she was feeling, so she stood up and said, "I'm going to make breakfast."

Ben stood up as well. "No, let me. You're my guest."

"Yes, but you and Hannah already cooked dinner for me. It's the least I could do." She paused, and when she saw him start to open his mouth in protest, she added. "Please, Ben?"

The way she said it seemed to finally do the trick, because his shoulders slumped and he sat back down on the stool. "Alright, alright."

She beamed and walked over to the refrigerator, stopping when she saw the drawings stuck to the door with fruit-shaped magnets. "Wow. Did Hannah draw all these?"

"Yes, she did," Ben answered with pride. "I plan to have her take art lessons during the summer."

"These are all beautiful," Rey said, running a hand over the crayon drawing of a family prominently displayed among others. "Is this supposed to be you, me and Hannah?"

"Yes." Ben's voice was close, and Rey was surprised to find him standing behind her. She didn't even hear him walk towards her. "She didn't get her drawing skills from me, so it must be from you. I remember you saying one of your hobbies was sketching."

Rey didn't know what to say to that. Ben seemed to remember a lot of things about her, even the minor details, and she found herself growing appreciative and shy at the same time.

She turned away and opened the refrigerator door, her eyes roaming over the contents. There was a lot more in there than what was in her own fridge back home, and she wasn't sure where to start. "Uhm...I was thinking of making bacon and eggs. Unless you want something else?"

"No, bacon and eggs are fine" Ben pointed to where the eggs and pack of bacon were kept. "I'll go get the bread from the pantry and toast them."

Rey proceeded to get the food items and it wasn't long before she was standing by the stove, humming a tune to herself. From her peripheral vision, she saw Ben walk away from the toaster to stand behind her, leaning over with one hand over the kitchen hood. She could almost feel the heat radiating from the chest that was far too close to her back, and she could sense his nose skating her hair.

She angled her head so she could look at him, her brows meeting. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Ben said innocently. "Just smelling the bacon, that's all."

Rey giggled. "What? You've never smelled bacon before?"

"Not one that's cooked by you."

"All bacon smell the same." She rolled her eyes, even as a smile danced on her lips. "I'm not cooking it any differently."

Ben tilted his head and stared so intently at her, she squirmed under his gaze. After a moment, he said, "Your eyes have flecks of green in it. I never noticed that before."

"Do they?"

"Yeah. They're beautiful."

"Uhm...thanks." Rey ducked her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She could feel her face grow hot again, and she hoped Ben would give her a little space. Her heart was beating too fast at his words, at the closeness of him. "How come you can see the green in my eyes? I thought you couldn't see very well."

"I'm near sighted. I can see the details of your face up close just fine." He moved to the counter beside the stove, much to Rey's relief, and leaned against it with a hip while crossing his arms over his chest. Okay, so maybe it would have been better if he were standing behind her after all, she thought. His massive chest was distracting.

"Speaking of eyes," Ben continued, "I've been thinking of undergoing Lasik surgery. What do you think?"

"You mean for your vision?" Rey asked, concentrating hard on the bacon she was cooking. She wasn't about to let this burn because of Ben's naked torso, which seemed to gleam in the morning sun. "That's entirely up to you, Ben, if you feel more comfortable without glasses."

"I mean I want to know what you think. Do you prefer me with or without glasses?"

She didn't want to look, but he had moved closer, apparently having taken his glasses from the island counter, and made a show of putting them on and removing them.

"Well? What do you think, Rey?"

Rey swallowed. "Does it matter what I think?"

"Of course it does. I value your opinion. A lot."

There he was again with words. He was being overly nice today, overly sincere in his compliments. She couldn't imagine how this jerk who had barged into her home months ago would turn out like this. Likeable. Charming almost.

"I'm more practical, Ben, you know that. Glasses are cheaper than Lasik," she said and returned to cooking. She didn't want to tell him she actually preferred him without glasses. She had a feeling that if he did, he would immediately drop money to get the surgery done. "Besides, there might be complications to the surgery. If you want to stop wearing glasses, why not use contact lenses?"

"Contact lenses are a chore to put on and maintain," Ben complained, then pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "So, I guess you're stuck with me looking like an old man."

Rey had to laugh. "Come on. Your glasses don't make you look old. They make you look dignified."

"Dignified huh?" He smirked. "You make me sound like I belong in a museum."

"Of course not. You're twisting my meaning. I'm trying to compliment you here!" Without thinking, she gave him a slight push on the chest. She was horrified with herself for a split second for doing that, but immediately felt better after Ben burst out laughing.

"I'm just teasing you, Rey."

"Yeah, whatever." She pretended to pout as she finished cooking the bacon. Sunny side up was next on the menu.

Ben leaned further in. "You look cute when you scowl like that."

Rey raised an eyebrow. "What? Are we going to out-compliment each other now?"

"That'd be a fun game, wouldn't it?" Ben grinned. "I'll start by saying I think you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever met both inside and out."

"Wha…" Rey's jaw dropped. What in the world was going on with Ben today? Why was he saying that? Was he...was he flirting with her or just messing with her? Why was her heart beating so fast? And why couldn't she form words? "You...I...ah…"

"Time's up. I win!" Ben declared, and made a show of pumping his fists up in the air.

"Y-You're impossible!" Rey blurted out and went back to cooking. He was definitely just messing with her.

"You answered too late, and that's not a compliment, so I still win," Ben teased.

"Ugh, go away. I'm trying to cook here." She gave him another slight push to the chest, though this time she was more comfortable doing it. She didn't want to think about how it gave her an excuse to touch said chest.

Ben chuckled and turned when the four-bread toaster dinged. "How do you like your toast? With butter? Jam? I prefer mine with butter but Hannah likes it with jam."

"I like it with jam, too." Rey began distributing the cooked eggs and bacon on the three plates Ben had prepared earlier on the island counter. That was when she noticed a head of dark, wavy hair peeking in from the kitchen's entrance. "Hannah?"

Hannah emerged into the kitchen, Mr. Jingles tucked in one arm. "Uhm, good morning, Rey. Good morning, Daddy."

"Ah, sweetheart, you're awake," Ben said as he placed the toasted bread on each of the three plates. "Come and have breakfast. Rey cooked."

"Your daddy helped too," Rey corrected as she helped her daughter up the stool. She sat beside Hannah while Ben sat across them, reaching out for their hands to say grace. Her hand slid easily into Ben's, now feeling more at ease in his grasp.

"Did you sleep well, honey?" Rey asked, pouring a glass of orange juice for Hannah.

"I did." Hannah scrunched up her nose. "But you weren't there when I woke up."

"Sorry, sweetie. I didn't want to wake you. You were sleeping so soundly." Rey ran her hand through Hannah's hair before planting a kiss on the side of her head. "Now, go eat your breakfast."

Hannah nodded, put Mr. Jingles on the counter and proceeded to dig in. Rey started eating, as did Ben.

A companionable silence settled in the kitchen. It seemed they were all hungry, Rey thought, as they concentrated more on food than talking. Still, it was nice. It wasn't awkward. It felt comfortable.

It felt like home.

"What are you smiling about?"

Rey blinked and stared at Ben, who was lathering more butter on his half-eaten toast before biting down on it. He didn't seem admonishing. More like curious.

"It's nothing. I'm just...happy," she finally admitted, still smiling as she finished off her plate. "To be with Hannah. To be with you. It's nice to be together like this instead of just talking through the internet all the time."

"Me too, Rey. I'm happy too," Hannah chimed in, biting down on the last of her toast and licking her fingers free of the jam. "I've missed you so much. Daddy missed you so much, too."

Ben coughed and started patting his chest. Rey hurriedly poured him a glass of orange juice, which he immediately took and chugged down.

Hannah continued to talk to Rey. "Maybe if you lived near us, we wouldn't miss you as much." She paused for a moment, her face brightening. "How about you move here to Coruscant, Rey? We could see each other all the time. It's a great idea, right Daddy?"

Rey's eyes met Ben's. She couldn't really read his expression, although it seemed to her like he wanted her to speak first. And she wasn't sure what to say. Sure, she wanted to be with Hannah, and even with Ben. But to uproot her life especially when she was tethered to Jakku...it wasn't possible, and she didn't know how to break it to Hannah.

The ringing of Ben's phone spared her from answering, and she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Excuse me." Ben grabbed his phone, stared at it for a moment then stood up from his stool and answered. "Uncle Chewie, good morning." He smiled apologetically at Rey before turning around and taking a few steps away from the island counter. "Yes, I know. I'll bring my car in for the annual check up. She's running smoothly though. Okay, okay, I'll bring her in. Oh! You think you could look at my friend's car too? It's a classic. Hold on, let me ask." Ben turned back to Rey. "Rey, what's the make and model of your pickup again?"

"A 1950s Chevy 3100." Rey's brows knitted together. Why did Ben need to know that?

"Thanks." Ben turned around and repeated the pickup's make and model over the phone. "Yeah. Like I said, it's a classic. Yeah? Okay, we'll be there. It's eight now, so how about we go there at eleven? Ok, great! See you, Uncle Chewie. Bye."

"Daddy, why did Uncle Chewie call?" Hannah asked. She was fidgeting in her seat, legs swinging and feet unable to reach the floor. "Are we going to his shop?"

"Yes, we are, sweetheart," Ben affirmed and leaned over the kitchen island with his palms. "Rey, I know we were supposed to take you around Central Square today, but I'd love for you to meet my Uncle Chewie and see his shop. I think you'll find it interesting there. Plus, he wants to see your pickup. He's nuts for vintage cars."

"I don't mind. We can go." Rey beamed. She would love to meet this family friend Ben had told her about. He sounded like a great guy.

* * *

Rey slowly drove along the streets of Coruscant City while following behind Ben's Mustang. Hannah had wanted to ride with her, but she figured Ben's car was more roadworthy than hers, so she had the girl stay with her father.

The Mustang took a turn to a street lined with automobile repair shops, and Rey followed until Ben turned his car into the entryway of a large, single story facility with a sign that simply read 'Chewbacca Auto Restoration'. It must be Uncle Chewie's real name, she thought. It sounded foreign.

She drove her car into the facility and was instantly stunned. When Ben said it was a shop, she had imagined it to be this small section of a building that could house maybe three cars at most. But this...it was practically a hangar full of maybe twenty or thirty cars in various stages of restoration, with a great number of people working all at once. Some people were sanding, spray painting, and others doing metal work, sparks from welding machines and mechanical saws lighting up sections of the shop. It was noisy too, but not too much.

Ben parked his Mustang to a space on the side, and Rey parked beside him before getting out of her pickup. Her hand was instantly around Hannah's the moment she got close enough, while the girl's other hand was in Ben's. All three of them walked hand in hand as they walked further into the shop while Rey continued to look around, in awe of the high ceilings and the machinery, some familiar from her work in the junkyard, and others that she had never seen before.

"BENNY BOY!"

The booming voice caught Rey off guard, and she stopped abruptly, as did Hannah and Ben. Walking briskly towards them was a tall, burly man-taller than Ben-with long, brown hair and stringy beard that reached his chest. It was a little chilly, but the man wasn't wearing a sweater like they were, and instead wore a tan worker's jumpsuit (the same as the workers in the shop) with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off a myriad of colorful tattoos.

The man strode towards them and pulled Ben into a bear hug. "So great to see you, Benny boy! It's been so long."

Rey detected an accent that she couldn't place, and decided this man reminded her of a Viking. Spoke almost like how she imagined a viking would speak too.

"We just saw each other last month," Ben said, his voice strained. "Uncle Chewie, I can't breathe."

"Oops, sorry." Chewie let go of Ben, then turned to Hannah, leaning down from his great height. "Little princess! Come and give your Uncle Chewie a great big hug!"

"Uncle Chewie!" Hannah let go of Rey and ran into Chewie's arms, and the man picked her up and tossed her into the air. Rey gasped but Ben patted her shoulder to reassure her.

"It's fine. Uncle Chewie does this all the time. Hannah loves it."

True enough, Hannah was laughing and squealing in delight as Chewie continued to toss and catch her before pulling her into a hug and setting her back down onto the floor. "Whew. You've gotten heavy, princess. You're not so little anymore, aren't you?"

Hannah giggled when Chewie patted the top of her head, and Rey watched him rise to his feet, to stare curiously at her with warm, golden brown eyes. "So, you must be Benny's friend."

Rey smiled and held out a hand. "Hi, I'm Rey Kenobi."

"The name's Chewbacca Wook. Chewie for short." He stared at her outstretched hand for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, none of that formal shit. Come here!"

Chewie suddenly pulled Rey into a tight hug, much to her shock, and she looked helplessly at Ben, who simply smiled and said, "Uncle Chewie's a hugger."

"That I am," Chewie admitted with a laugh before letting Rey go, and she had to steady herself for a moment. Chewie was nothing like the owner of a car restoration business she had pictured in her head, and she should have anticipated he won't act like one either. However, she did appreciate how welcoming he was.

"So…" Chewie put his hands on his hips, looking from Ben to Rey, "Benny boy, is Rey here your girlfriend?"

"N-No," Ben stammered. Rey noticed how flushed his face was. "She's ah...it's kinda complicated."

"Then, uncomplicate it," Chewie urged.

Rey decided to speak up. "I'm Hannah's biological mother."

"Biological…" Chewie trailed off, his eyes widening. "Like...biological as in...the egg donor?" He waited, and when Rey and Ben nodded, he whistled. "Oh boy, that _is_ complicated. You two dating or something?"

"No," Rey and Ben answered at the same time. Rey could feel heat flaming her cheeks.

Chewie narrowed his eyes at both of them before turning to Ben. "Benny boy, you're an idiot. You gonna just let this fine woman slip through your fingers?"

"Ben and I are just friends," Rey insisted.

Chewie didn't look convinced. "Friends...sure. Anyway, is that your pickup?" He walked past them and began circling Rey's truck, whistling as he did.

"It was my grandfather's," Rey explained, walking to where she had parked, Ben and Hannah following behind her. "He bought it at a bargain from a farmer in Jakku. I...I made some modifications to it."

"Like this sun visor right?"

"Yeah, and a few others. It was in a really bad shape before." Rey began to list off the improvements she had made on the truck, like the bumper, some stuff in the engine, the paint job (although it had since faded in some spots) to name a few, and Chewie nodded in understanding.

"You did a pretty good job in the restoration all things considering," Chewie said, popping up the hood of the truck. "Engine looks good. Could use a bit of a tune up." He was quiet for a moment before he closed the hood again. "Tell you what, Rey. You seem to know your way around cars and restoration and shit. Why don't you come work for me? I could use a few extra hands and what you don't know, we can always teach you. Pay's pretty good to. Benefits and all."

Rey sucked in a breath and looked at Ben. His eyes were wide, and he was looking at her expectantly. Was Chewie...actually offering her a job?

Rey wasn't even able to formulate an answer before Chewie was hollering for someone. "Rose, come here for a sec!"

Rey turned to the direction Chewie was looking at and saw a diminutive woman take off her welding mask and set it aside before walking towards them.

"Rose!" Hannah squealed and ran towards the woman, who smiled and knelt down to give the girl a hug before they walked towards Rey and the others again. She was Asian, with jetblack hair in a ponytail and wore a bright smile on her kind face.

"Rose is also Hannah's babysitter," Ben explained.

Rey nodded. "Yeah, I remember you telling me that."

"What's up, boss?" Rose asked, eyes on the pickup. "1950s Chevy. Nice. Are we restoring it?"

Instead of answering, Chewie made introductions. "Rose, this is Rey, Benny's lady friend. She restored this truck from a beat up old thing all by herself."

"Really?" Rose looked at Rey with what seemed like awe before she walked around the pickup. Rey followed her and they began to talk about the things she did to spruce up the truck with the limited resources she had. They talked a little longer than Rey expected, and she decided that she liked Rose.

"Rose here has been working with me for five years now," Chewie said, putting a hand on Rose's shoulder. "She could teach you a lot of things if you decide to join us."

Rose looked up at Chewie with a smile. "You hiring her, boss?"

"I'm trying to."

"Thank you, but I already have a job in Jakku," Rey finally spoke up. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Ben's shoulders sag. "I appreciate the offer though."

"Ah, that's too bad. The good ones are always taken," Chewie lamented. "Anyway, if ever you change your mind, just let me know. I'll have Benny boy give you one of my calling cards." He looked at the pickup truck again, leaning one hand over the side of the hood. "So...what would you like to do with this baby? You want us to restore it? Maybe improve the paint job or…"

Rey quickly shook her head. "I...I can't afford a restoration. I'm just here because Ben said you wanted to see my truck."

Chewie looked at Ben then, and for some reason, Rey thought there was this weird, silent communication between them.

Ben cleared his throat. "Just a tune up will do, Uncle Chewie. For both our cars. You can put it on my tab and I'll text you later."

Rey's eyes widened. "What? No, Ben. I can't have you pay for this. It's my truck, I should-"

"No one's putting it on anyone's tab," Chewie interrupted with a big grin, his teeth bright against the brown of his beard. "I'm tuning up both your cars for free. No buts," he added when Rey started to protest. "Let me take care of these babies. You can leave them here in the shop and pick them up tomorrow. Meanwhile, you go take an Uber or something and have fun. We'll get to work."

"There must be something we can do for you," Rey insisted. She was grateful, sure, but she felt that she had to at least give something back.

"Actually there is," Chewie said, his grin still not fading. "You can buy me and my employees some pizza."


	13. Chapter 13

Ben watched Rey look every which way, taking in all the sights and sounds of Central Square-the heart of Coruscant City. It was like looking at his home city with fresh eyes, and he took delight in Rey's awe as all three of them walked hand in hand through the crowded sidewalk, Hannah in between them.

Buildings towered over them with neon signs, billboards, and LED screens showing a variety of ads. The Square, which used to be a traffic intersection, had since been converted to a more pedestrian-friendly hub, with cars and taxis relegated only to certain areas. Shops, cafes and restaurants lined the streets, but since they had already had lunch hours earlier, they were now headed to the Broadway theater to watch the musical as he had promised Rey they would.

He stared at Rey again. She looked positively radiant, brimming with life, and her smile so infectious, he couldn't hold back his own. He had been smiling a lot more lately because of her, had felt more alive because of her. He loved the way she laughed, the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, the way she would chew at the bottom of her rosy lips. He loved how she engaged him in conversation, how she listened to him and made him feel like he could do anything. He loved how she was with Hannah, how caring she was, how protective and patient she was with his little girl.

He loved her. He knew he was fucked, but he loved her. Their banter earlier at breakfast had given him a glimpse of what life with her could be like. Her embarrassment and shyness when he had flirted with her had been unbearingly cute. The feel of her hand in his when he put his palm over hers had sent his pulse racing, even more so when she playfully pushed him away, the feel of her fingers still lingering on his chest. He wanted more of those little moments with her, and he counted himself lucky that he would still have her by his side until tomorrow.

Tomorrow. She would be leaving tomorrow and they would be back to their long distance routine, but he'd rather not dwell on it for now. He was going to savor the time they had together, and he was going to make sure she had the time of her life while she was with them.

He felt Hannah tug his hand. "Daddy, what musical are we seeing?"

"Yeah, Ben," Rey chimed in. "You never told us what we're going to see."

Ben reached for his wallet and produced three tickets, handing one ticket each to Rey and Hannah.

Hannah let out a squeal. "Wicked?! I've always wanted to watch it! My friends keep telling me it's so good."

"It is," Ben affirmed. "I've watched it before and it's one of my favorite musicals. I think you two will love it."

Rey frowned. "Ben...isn't this based off of that book by Gregory Maguire?"

"Yeah, it is. I've read that book."

"I have too and…" she trailed off, staring at the ticket before looking worriedly at him. "It's not exactly a kid-friendly book."

"Oh, don't worry. The musical is way different," Ben assured. "I also checked the age restrictions and it's recommended for children ages eight and up."

"I'm eight!" Hannah declared.

"And that's why you can definitely watch, sweetheart." Ben pointed to a building across the street, where a large sign of the musical title was lit with bright lights. The entrance was lined with the official poster, and was full of people taking selfies, lining up to buy tickets or queueing to go inside. "There's the theater now. Let's get the playbills and some snacks first before we head inside."

* * *

The theater was packed, which was not wholly unexpected. Wicked was a very popular musical, and Ben thanked his lucky stars that he had been able to snag premium seat tickets in the Orchestra section for the three of them.

After excusing themselves from other people in their row, Ben took his seat, as did the girls, snacks and drinks in tow. He looked to make sure they were settled. Hannah sat in between them, already digging into her popcorn, while Rey looked around, brows knitted together and lips in a slight frown. "Rey? What's wrong?"

"These are really good seats, Ben," she said, her voice low. "The tickets must've been expensive."

He could sense that she was once again worried about the costs, and he supposed he couldn't blame her. He knew she didn't have the same privileges as he did and had to basically scrounge for a living. He didn't want to seem like a show off, but now, he was beginning to fear she might think he was flaunting his wealth in her face, when nothing could be further from the truth. He just wanted her to have a good time with him and Hannah.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said with a smile. "The cost of the ticket is for more than just the seat. It's for the experience and for the memories we take with us. Now, those are priceless."

That seemed to put Rey at ease, and she smiled back before relaxing in her seat. Ben did the same, and just like Hannah, began digging into his box of popcorn.

The show began not long after, with a rousing musical number that still managed to take his breath away even after repeat viewings. As time went on, he found that he enjoyed watching the musical even more this time around, most likely because he wasn't alone. He had Hannah and Rey with him. That made all the difference. And the way they were enraptured by the songs and the story made it feel like he too was watching it for the first time. Like he was seeing it through their eyes.

There were times when Hannah would ask him a few questions, keeping her voice respectfully low, and he dutifully answered. Rey on the other hand seemed really engrossed, smiling and laughing at appropriate times, eyes twinkling and breaths heaving at the more intense scenes, and clapping along with the crowd at the end of almost every song.

Then came the part in the second act, where the lead character would be sharing a few passionate kisses with her love interest. This was the part where Ben had to set his snacks aside. He wasn't ready for Hannah see such an intimate display of affection.

When the kiss finally happened, he quickly put a palm over Hannah's eyes, only to feel Rey's hand against his palm instead. His quickly turned to her, their eyes meeting. She had apparently had the same idea to shield their daughter from seeing the kiss.

Hannah groaned and pulled her parents' hands away from her face. "It's just a kiss!"

Ben pulled back at the same time as Rey and tried to concentrate on the actors onstage. There would be a couple more kisses after the first one, but he didn't move to cover Hannah's eyes this time; not because his daughter had basically told him off for being overprotective, but because the skin of his palm was still tingling from the feel of Rey's hand in his.

The musical ended as it always did: with standing ovations and thunderous applause. Ben, Hannah and Rey all joined in on the chorus, clapping and cheering as the actors did their curtain call. Ben looked at the girls again, still infected by their apparent joy and excitement. It was a feeling he knew he would treasure for the rest of his life.

Hannah chatted away, telling both Rey and her dad everything she loved about the musical, which was practically everything. Ben even bought her a Wicked glitter globe and a Wicked jacket from the theater boutique, and while Rey declined his offer to buy her merchandise, she did accept the CD he bought for her.

It was dark by the time they got out of the theater. The lights of Central Square were brighter and more colorful now, and the streets still so packed that Ben had to guide Rey and Hannah through the crowds, one hand behind Hannah's head, the other at the small of Rey's back.

"Really, Ben, I can't thank you enough," Rey said, taking the glitter globe Hannah was handing to her and putting it inside the tote bag she was carrying along with her new CD. "It was absolutely amazing. The songs, the costumes, the story...it's so different from the book."

"I told you." Ben grinned, even as his hand trembled against her back. "Which do you like more, the book or the musical?"

Rey seemed to ponder this for a bit. "They're so vastly different except for a few things. But I guess I prefer the musical because of the happy ending. It's still bittersweet, but it's a happier ending than what we got in the book."

"Can I read the book, Daddy?" Hannah asked.

"When you're older, sweetheart," Ben promised, then turned back to Rey. "So...now that you've watched your first musical, is there any other musical you'd like to watch in the near future?" That was his subtle way of asking Rey out on another musical 'date' with Hannah. He was confident he wasn't too obvious.

Rey's face brightened. "I've always wanted to see Cats."

"Cats?" Ben raised his eyebrows. Except for a few tunes, it wasn't exactly high up on his list of musicals. "Why Cats?"

"Mostly because of Barbara Streisand," Rey admitted, ducking her head shyly. "I know she didn't act in that musical, but she's my grandfather's favorite singer. I can't even count how many times we listened to her rendition of 'Memory'. Plus, there's that one song she sang with Bryan Adams, uhm…"

"' _I Finally Found Someone'_?" Ben supplied, and Rey nodded.

"Yeah, that one. It's still one of my favorite songs." To Ben's surprise, Rey began singing the chorus softly. " _I finally found someone; Someone to share my life…_ "

He decided to join in. " _I finally found the one; To be with every night…_ "

"I don't know that song," Hannah cut in, looking from one parent to the other.

"It's an old song, sweetie," Rey explained. "I'll let you listen to it when we get home."

 _When we get home_. Rey's words echoed in Ben's head, his heart beating wildly against his rib cage. He knew she probably didn't mean anything by it, but now he couldn't stop thinking about how incredible it would be if Rey actually called his house _their home_. How wonderful it would be to come home not just to Hannah, but to _her_ as well.

"Where are we going next, Ben?"

"Oh! I, uh…" Ben stammered, startled from his musings. "We should...we should go have dinner. We have a reservation at six."

* * *

Ben led Rey and Hannah to an Italian restaurant called 'Commensale di Destro', which also happened to be a piano bar. He had always meant to take Rey here, and had made reservations days in advance.

"I love this restaurant," Hannah said as she sat sat in the booth and scooted over to make room for Rey, while Ben sat across them. Nearby, the pianist played while a guest stood in front of the mic, singing a song. Ben knew it was a guest because this restaurant usually encouraged guests to either request a song or sing onstage if they were bold enough. "This was Grandpa's favorite restaurant. Grandma's too. You should meet my Grandma, Rey. She will love you."

"Maybe one day, sweetie," Rey said. Ben detected a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"My mother will love you, Rey," he echoed his daughter. "I'm sure of it. You're easy to love."

Rey's eyes widened. Cheeks flushing pink, she quickly hid her face behind the menu and Ben did the same, if only to hide his alarm. Had he been too forward? Had he overstepped his bounds?

He cleared his throat. "I would have wanted you to meet my mother this weekend but she's been overseas for a few months." He clamped his lips shut. For all the times they talked, he had never really told Rey much about his mother. Not that he didn't want to; she just barely came up in their conversations. Besides, Rey might get even more intimidated if she knew his mother was a lawyer-turned-senator…

"I'll have spaghetti and meatballs," Rey announced, and Ben had to smile to himself. Of course, she would order that.

"I'll have spaghetti carbonara," Hannah said, which wasn't unexpected, since the girl ordered the same thing every time they went to this particular restaurant.

He called for a waiter and gave out their orders, his being a filet mignon with a glass of Chardonnay. In that time, Rey seemed to ease back into comfort, and began talking freely again, mostly about Wicked. It was apparent she still couldn't get over how good it was, and Ben felt his heart swell. He had done a good job, he thought. He had definitely given them an experience of a lifetime.

They continued to talk well after they had finished their meals, still discussing their favorite parts of the musical while soft piano music played in the background. The only time they stopped talking about Wicked was when Rey started asking Ben about Cats again, and he gladly obliged, all the while secretly hoping she would be interested enough in the show to want to watch it with him and Hannah sometime soon.

Hannah tugged on the sleeve of Rey's sweater. "Rey, you mentioned a song earlier by Barbara S...Strei…"

"Barbara Streisand?" Rey finished.

"Yes," Hannah nodded. "What song was that again?"

"Oh, you mean ' _Memory'_?"

"No. The other one. The one you sang with Daddy earlier."

"' _I Finally Found Someone,'_ " Rey answered. "It's the soundtrack of a movie though, not a musical."

"Okay," Hannah mumbled. Ben watched his daughter's hazel eyes dart from him, to Rey. "Rey, can you excuse me? I need to go to the washroom."

"Of course, sweetie." Rey stood up from her seat so she can let Hannah out. "You want me to come with you?"

"No. You and Daddy just stay and talk. I'll be right back." Before either Rey or Ben could protest, Hannah darted away from the booth and made her way through the maze of tables and further into the restaurant.

Ben narrowed his eyes as Rey sat back down. "That girl's up to something."

"Really?" Rey tilted her head at him. "How can you tell?"

"Just a feeling." Ben fidgeted in his seat. His daughter had that same look in her eyes whenever she was planning to prank him or something, and a trickle of fear started running down his spine. "I'll call for the check."

He started looking around the restaurant for an available waiter when the piano music faded, replaced by the gravelly voice of the restaurant's pianist. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a young lady here who would like to request her parents perform a song for us."

Ben whipped his head towards the small stage in the middle of the restaurant, his stomach dropping when he saw Hannah standing by the piano.

The pianist continued. "What are your parents' names, little lady?"

Hannah tried to reach up for the mic, and the pianist promptly took it off the stand and handed it to her.

"My parents names are Ben Solo and Rey Kenobi," Hannah's voice echoed through the speakers throughout the restaurant, and Ben covered his face with a palm. He couldn't even bear to look at Rey.

"And what will they be singing tonight?" the pianist asked.

Ben dared to peek between his fingers, and saw the mischief in Hannah's eyes as she said "' _I Finally Found Someone'_."

"A lovely song choice," the pianist commented and put the mic back on the stand. "May we call on Ben Solo and Rey Kenobi to come onstage please."

A polite applause reverberated throughout the restaurant. Ben finally turned to Rey, and found that she had turned white as sheet.

"It's okay, Rey," he whispered and stood up, holding his hand out to help her out of her seat. She took his hand, her palm cold and clammy to the touch as she rose to her feet and slowly followed Ben to the stage, the applause becoming louder the closer they got to the pianist. Rey still didn't let go of his hand by the time they reached the stage, and neither did he. It was as if both of them needed each other's encouragement, though if Ben were to be honest, he didn't really need that much encouraging. He was used to performing in front of crowds from his days singing with StarKiller. But he was afraid for Rey.

He threw a reprimanding look at Hannah, but the girl only giggled and got off the stage to stand in front of them, whipping out her phone as she did. Ben almost groaned into the microphone. He hoped his daughter won't post the video she was clearly recording on the internet.

He leaned in close to Rey, squeezing her hand and whispered away from the mic, "It's going to be fine. Think of it as though you're back in high school and singing in musical plays."

"Okay," Rey whispered back, slowly letting out a breath. "You know this song right?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Memorized every word." She pulled back and gave him a small smile before finally letting go of his hand, just as the first few notes of the song played.

Ben moved closer to the mic. There was only one, so he and Rey would have to share.

With a deep breath, he began to sing.

" _I finally found someone_

 _Who knocks me off my feet_

 _I finally found the one_

 _That makes me feel complete…"_

Rey stepped up beside him, her shoulder pressed against his as she leaned in to the mic.

" _We started over coffee_

 _We started out as friends_

 _It's funny how from simple things,_

 _The best things begin…"_

Her voice trembled a little, but it was as angelic as he imagined it would be. Encouraged, Ben continued to sing, trying not to get too distracted by the closeness of Rey's face to his.

" _This time it's different…"_

" _Dah dah dah dah…"_

" _It's all because of you…"_

" _Dah dah dah dah…"_

" _It's better than it's ever been…"_

" _Coz we can talk it through…"_

His voice melded surprisingly beautifully with hers. He stared at her in awe, and she stared back at him as she sang the next lines with a bit more confidence than earlier.

" _My favorite line_

 _Was 'Can I call you some time?'_

 _It's all you had to say…"_

" _To take my breath away…"_

She broke eye contact, tucking her hair behind her ear and Ben found himself wishing he were the one doing that for her.

" _This is it,_

 _Oh,_

 _I finally found someone_

 _Someone to share my life_

 _I finally found the one_

 _To be with every night…"_

" _'Cause whatever I do…"_

" _It's just got to be you…"_

" _My life has just begun_

 _I finally found someone…"_

Rey looked at him again, still singing, though this time, she was smiling widely. She looked like she was finally enjoying herself, and Ben felt relief and joy wash over him all at once.

He sang the rest of the song with her, this time with more feeling as he internalized each word, expressing how he felt for her through the melody. He knew she probably didn't get it, even with his prolonged eye contact with her and his lingering gazes whenever she tore her eyes away from his, but he sang with his all anyway, easily hitting the high notes with her, his voice harmonizing with hers until they came down from the high, the tempo slowing and the music fading. And with the last of the notes, Rey looked him in the eye again, and he smiled softly at her, his heart so full it was close to bursting.

This time, the applause was not just polite; it was enthusiastic, with some people even cheering them on. It wasn't new to Ben, but it was obviously new to Rey as she lowered her head, bowing shyly before gazing up at him again. Almost instinctively, he put wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and he was both surprised and thrilled when she leaned into him, waving at Hannah's camera. He had forgotten their daughter was still recording.

The pianist stood up and took the mic. "That was a splendid performance. Bravo. How long have you two been married?"

"Oh!" Rey shook her head. "We're not-"

"Ten years," Ben cut in, giving Rey's shoulder a gentle squeeze. He knew she was gaping at him in shock, but he chose to keep his attention on the pianist, who continued to fawn over them and congratulate them for a job well done. The crowd applauded again, and Ben moved his arm off Rey's shoulder so he could take her hand again. He gently led her back to their booth, Hannah following closeby.

"Why did you tell them we were married?" Rey whispered when she and Hannah had settled back in the booth. Her eyes were wide and her voice was shaky.

"The truth is too complicated." Ben shrugged. "Like Uncle Chewie said, it's better to 'uncomplicate it'."

Rey chewed on her bottom lip, and he wondered what her lips would feel like against his. He knew he shouldn't be thinking this way, but he was. That duet had only cemented how much of a goner he was for her.

Rey crossed her arms over her chest. "You do know us being married ten years meant you married me when I was seventeen, right?"

"Yeah, but they don't know that." Ben grinned, then turned to Hannah, his voice grave as he said, "Young lady, we're going to have a little talk about your shenanigans."

Hannah seemed to shrink in her seat, though she didn't appear remorseful. There was still a hint of a smile on her lips. "Am I in trouble, Daddy?"

"No." Ben sighed. He really couldn't reprimand Hannah for this one. Not when he got so much happiness out of it. He should even thank her, but he'd rather keep that to himself. "Just warn us next time if you want us to perform, alright?"

"Okay, Daddy."

"Okay, good. Now let me get the check so we can get out of here."

* * *

The night was still young when they got out of the restaurant, so Ben suggested they take a little walk in the park. It was right next to the Square, which meant they didn't have to walk very far to get there.

Hannah was excited when she saw the bike rental and begged her father to let her ride, which he did, and soon, she was slowly cycling ahead of them while they stayed several feet behind her on the park's paved, tree-lined pathways. Ben kept a careful watch of his daughter, all the while keeping pace with Rey, who had gone eerily quiet. And the longer the silence grew, the more anxious he became. What could she possibly be thinking now?

He decided to break the ice with a compliment. "You have a beautiful voice, Rey."

"You do too," Rey complimented back without looking at him. "You should be singing in Broadway. Like in Wicked."

Ben chuckled. "I'm flattered, but I don't sing for a living anymore. You on the other hand could actually make money off of your voice."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Rey smile. "Yeah, well...I already have a job. And I don't really harbor any dreams of stardom."

"Speaking of your job…" Ben said, recalling their conversation with Uncle Chewie earlier that day. "Why didn't you accept Uncle Chewie's job offer? I assure you the pay's good. And you'd be a great fit."

Rey was quick to shake her head. "My place is in Jakku. I can't leave."

Ben felt himself deflate. There was a finality in Rey's tone but at the same time...resignation? He wanted to ask her why she couldn't leave, but she turned to him with such a disarming smile, he was rendered speechless.

"Thank you, Ben. It's been an incredible day. Meeting Chewie and also Rose, seeing Wicked, even singing with you at that restaurant even though I was a nervous wreck." She let out a short laugh. "I'm really glad, you know? To have you as a friend."

Ben felt himself grow suddenly cold, and it had nothing to do with the night air.

Rey didn't seem to notice the change in his demeanour. "I know we started off on the wrong foot when we first met, so I'm glad we've become really good friends. Otherwise, I would never have been able to have Hannah in my life the way I do now."

She was being sincere. She sounded really happy. Ben, on the other hand, felt nothing but turmoil inside him, and it was a while before he was able to speak again. "So...you're saying you're happy with the way things are? With you, me and Hannah?"

"Of course, I am." Rey's smile was radiant under the street lamps along the path. "Everything's just so perfect that sometimes I'm scared something might happen that would get in the way of our friendship and make things awkward for Hannah. But everyday, you've shown me it's not going to happen. That nothing's going to change. And you have no idea how grateful I am for that. The last thing I want is for us to drift apart like I did with some of my other friends."

"Are you talking about Finn and Poe?" Ben asked softly. He remembered her telling him about them. They seemed to be the only friends she had ever mentioned to him.

"Yes." Rey nodded. "Finn is actually my best friend growing up. I was there for him when he came out as gay, and he was there for me when my grandfather died, but then he met Poe. Don't get me wrong, Poe's a great guy, but it was because of him that Finn decided to leave Jakku for good, so now I barely get to talk to them or see them at all." She grew quiet for a moment before continuing. "Some people say that love doesn't get in the way of friendship, but it actually does."

Ben froze in his tracks. He felt as though something had just shattered inside of him.

Rey walked ahead of him for a bit before she turned around and frowned. "Ben?"

"Nothing's going to get in the way of our friendship, Rey." His voice didn't sound like his own. Flat. Emotionless. Nonetheless, he knew he came off as sincere. "You will always have Hannah as your daughter and me as your friend. We'll always be here for you. Nothing's ever going to change that."

"I know." Rey beamed. "You don't know how much happier you both have made me. So thank you, Ben."

Ben tried to smile back, but he found it almost impossible to keep his lips from trembling. It didn't seem like Rey noticed, because her smile widened before she excused herself to go after Hannah, who had gone a little further ahead.

Ben started walking again, but his feet felt like lead. Everything from earlier-all the happiness he had felt, the light-hearted feeling he had with each of Rey's gazes, smiles and touches-they all seemed like a distant memory now, and he was suddenly and painfully reminded of the song he and Rey had sung together earlier.

Like the lyrics said, he finally found someone. After so many years of searching and waiting, he finally found the one he wanted to spend his life with. But he couldn't have her. To tell her how he truly felt would destroy the happiness she had now, and could potentially put Hannah's happiness on the line too.

No. He wasn't going to tell Rey he loved her, despite his heart screaming to the high heavens that he did. His silence, his own happiness was the price he would have to pay to keep her in his life, to keep her and Hannah as happy as they were now.

It was a price he was willing to pay, even though he was dying inside.


	14. Chapter 14

Sunlight illuminated the curtains, casting a soft, warm glow over the guest room. Turning to lay on her back, Rey stared at the ceiling, eyes bleary from lack of sleep. She would be going back home to Jakku later that day, and after all the fun and excitement the day before, she found that having to leave Hannah and Ben made her feel hollow. They had filled a hole in her heart that she never thought would be filled. With them, she felt at home.

But Coruscant wasn't her home. Jakku was, whether she liked it or not. She couldn't leave even if she wanted to. But oh, she had been sorely tempted to accept Chewie's job offer. She had been daydreaming about what could happen if she did take it. She would be able to visit Hannah and Ben all the time. She could go to Hannah's school events and meet the friends she had been telling her about. She could physically be there to help Hannah with her homework. She could cook for both Hannah and Ben, maybe even tuck Hannah into bed before heading back to an apartment she could finally afford.

She sighed. There was no use dwelling on what ifs. She had made her peace with the life she was leading, and she considered herself fortunate to even have a fraction of happiness from having Hannah and Ben in her life.

She turned to her side again and watched her daughter's chest rise and fall with her breaths, Mr. Jingles tucked in one arm. Two nights of sleeping beside this little girl on a large bed that seemed to be made out of clouds was going to make sleeping alone in her creaky, single bed that much harder. But she would have to acclimate herself back to her old life, at least until they met again, though she didn't know when that would be.

Perhaps she should talk to Ben about it, she thought. Surely, he would agree that they should meet again soon. He had fun yesterday too, right? He looked genuinely happy. And he was smiling. A lot. Well, except after their walk in the park. He had seemed withdrawn when she returned to his side with Hannah, but she had chucked it off to exhaustion, and she couldn't blame him. Time may have flown fast yesterday, but it had still been quite a long day.

Leaning down to kiss Hannah's cheek, Rey carefully got out of bed and padded out of the room in her borrowed robe and slippers. She was going to cook breakfast for them again. It was the least she could do for their hospitality.

She bounded down the stairs, hoping that Ben was already in the kitchen, sipping coffee and surfing on his phone. She had enjoyed his company in the kitchen the day before, and maybe they can start talking about plans to meet again in the near future.

She entered the kitchen, and the smile she had been wearing wilted. Ben wasn't there. She was the only one awake in the house.

Trying to shake away her disappointment, she opened the refrigerator and began searching through its contents before heading to the pantry to get the rest of the ingredients for the chicken and waffles she planned to make. This was another thing she would have to get used to once she returned to Jakku: cooking alone. Still, she was glad she wouldn't be eating breakfast alone this morning, but it would have been nice to have Ben around like yesterday, even if his close proximity to her was distracting.

She rolled the chicken around in the batter and began frying. Perhaps Ben was just trying to be extra friendly. He was certainly comfortable enough to stand so close to her, and comfortable enough with her to hold her hand, even though she herself wasn't. It wasn't that she didn't like it. She actually liked it far more than what was appropriate between friends, and that was more than enough reason to be uneasy. It wasn't Ben; it was her. Her and all these inexplicable emotions churning inside her with his every touch, every smile, with every kind word that came out of his lips. And when they had sung together on that stage, she had felt that he wasn't just singing to the crowd, but to her.

She shook her head and turned the chicken over. No, no, she was just imagining things. Ben was just being friendly, and she was so starved for affection that her heart was blowing things way out of proportion. She shouldn't be putting meaning behind Ben's actions. Besides, that way led to complications she didn't want in their relationship. She was happy with the dynamic they had now, and she would do everything and anything to keep it that way, if only to keep him and Hannah in her life.

After she was done cooking and distributing food on the plates, she decided to go up and wake the house before the food got cold. She checked on Hannah first, but just like last time, she couldn't bear to wake the girl up from a sound sleep. Might as well wake up Ben then.

She turned to the door across the hall and knocked softly. "Ben? Breakfast is ready."

She waited for Ben to answer, and when he didn't, she knocked again. It took a couple more tries before he opened the door, tying his robe as he did. His hair was mussed and his glasses were lopsided on the bridge of his nose.

"Good morning, Ben," Rey greeted, though she was immediately hit with concern. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up too early?"

"No, it's fine," he mumbled. She was quick to notice how he wouldn't meet her eyes, and he was rubbing his neck and shoulders while grimacing. "I just didn't sleep well, that's all."

"Me too," Rey admitted.

Ben lifted his head to finally meet her gaze. "Why?"

"I just had a lot of things on my mind, that's all." Rey shrugged before hastily breaking eye contact. It was irrational, but she was afraid that if he looked deeper into her eyes, he would find out _he_ was one of the reasons she was restless all night. "Anyway, we should all head down for breakfast before the food gets cold.

* * *

Breakfast was quieter this time around compared to yesterday. Hannah was still the chatterbox, talking up a storm about the musical and all the things they did, but Ben was a lot more subdued. She tried to get him to join in, but he would only talk briefly before lapsing into silence again. She also noticed how he would keep rubbing his neck and shoulders.

"We should go to the park!" Hannah declared, still continuing the conversation, even though Rey had become distracted by Ben's demeanour. "It's a lot prettier during the daytime. Maybe all three of us can ride bikes. You know how to ride a bike, right Rey?"

"Yes, I do." Rey nodded and turned back to Ben across the table. "What do you say, Ben? Should we go to the park?"

"You two can go," Ben said, eyes lowered to his empty plate, one hand behind his neck. "I think I'm just going to rest here at home for a while."

"Why, Daddy?" Hannah's voice was laced with concern, and Rey felt the same. "Are you sick?"

"I just have aches and pains, that's all." Ben winced. He really did look like he was in pain. "I think I just need to rest, that's all."

Rey chewed on her lower lip for a moment before she turned to Hannah. "Sweetie, I think we should stay home today, too. Can't have your Daddy be lonely without us."

"Rey, really, it's fine," Ben protested and dropped his hands. Rey could see he was trying to put on a brave front, but he was still grimacing. "You two go to the park. Just be sure to be back before lunch."

"It's alright, Daddy. We can stay home with you," Hannah said. "I know! Let's watch a movie and play video games."

"That's nice, sweetheart, but Daddy needs to rest." Ben stood up from the table, rolling his shoulders as he did. "You girls go on ahead and do whatever you like. Just call me when it's lunch time."

Rey felt a lump form in her throat, and she swallowed as Ben nodded at them and wordlessly took his leave. She stopped herself from chewing on her lip by biting on her thumbnail instead.

"Something's wrong with Daddy," Hannah observed out loud, and Rey looked down at the little girl sitting beside her.

"You noticed too, huh?"

"Yeah. And he was so happy yesterday, too. I wonder what happened." Hannah grew quiet, her brows knitting together. Rey could practically see the cogwheels turning in her daughter's head. "Rey, why don't you check up on Daddy? I'll go get Netflix and popcorn ready."

Before Rey could utter another word, Hannah got off the stool and ran out of the kitchen, leaving her alone and feeling empty again.

She shook her head. No, she wasn't alone. She had to remind herself that until she got back to Jakku, she was still with Hannah and Ben. And she was going to make sure that her last day with them was still going to be memorable.

She would start by checking up on Ben, like Hannah suggested she should. Maybe she could help him feel better, enough for him to come down and join them for movies and video games.

After putting the plates in the dishwasher, she exited the kitchen and rose up the stairs towards Ben's room and knocked. "Ben, can I come in?"

There was a moment of silence before Ben's voice rang from behind the door. "Come in, Rey."

Rey let herself in, her eyes darting all over the room. It was a large room in monochromatic colors, with a tv, a desk, a small bookcase and a king-sized bed. She could see a family picture frame on the desk but she refocused her attention in Ben, who was sitting on the side of the bed, one hand massaging the back of his neck.

"Hannah asked me to check up on you." She stepped further into the room until she was standing beside him. "Shoulders and neck still hurting?"

"Yeah. I was tossing and turning last night and I definitely slept wrong." He frowned, then looked up at Rey. "Don't worry about me. This is nothing a little painkiller can't fix."

"Or a massage," Rey suggested, then found herself warming to the idea. "I could give you a massage if you want."

Ben's eyes widened, his jaw slack for a moment before he shook his head. "No, Rey. I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Rey tilted her head, genuinely perplexed. "A good massage always helps. I used to do it for my grandpa all the time."

For the first time that day, Ben smiled a little. "Are you saying I'm that old?"

Rey felt a little offended, at the same time horrified by what she could have implied. "Of course not! Come on, Ben. Don't twist my words. You know that's not what I meant."

Ben still wouldn't stop smiling, even if it did look strained. "I'm just kidding."

Rey huffed and crossed her arms. "Do you want a massage or not?"

"Fine." Ben waved a hand and slowly began to turn. With a grin, Rey climbed up the bed and knelt behind Ben, which seemed to startle him. "What are you doing?"

"Finding a comfortable spot where I can massage you. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Yes, but...you're on my bed."

"Yeah. So?" She waited for him to speak, but he simply turned and faced the wall. Rey twisted her lips before shrugging to herself and started folding her sleeves up her elbows when Ben started taking off his robe. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Giving you better access to my shoulders and neck. What does it look like I'm doing?" he said, mimicking her tone of voice earlier and setting his robe on the bed.

Rey swallowed at the sight of the broad expanse of his back, her eyes tracing the contours of his muscles and the moles dotting his pale skin. He was toned, but not like the male models in magazines she had seen, which had bulging muscles for days stretching over oiled, spray-tanned skin that she never did find attractive. Ben...he looked strong, clearly a man who worked out and exercised regularly, and as with yesterday when she first saw him shirtless, it sent her heart racing to the point that she found it hard to breathe.

Ben must've noticed that she had gone still, because he turned his head a little, as much as his stiff neck would allow. "Rey? Massage?"

"R-right!" Rey breathed out, then slowly put her hands on Ben's shoulders, kneading the tension away from his muscles. His skin felt warm to the touch, but she didn't know whether it was because he really was warm or if her hands were just cold.

"Fuck," Ben groaned, and Rey stopped immediately.

"I'm sorry, Ben. Does it hurt?"

"No, no. It felt good. Really good. Keep going."

Rey nodded and commenced massaging him, remembering what she had learned all those years ago and pressing her fingers and palms into his flesh.

Ben groaned loudly, and Rey felt heat bloom in her cheeks. Those weren't the groans of a man in pain, but a man seemingly in the throes of pleasure. He sounded borderline obscene, and it was doing things to her; made her feel things that she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Her breaths came out fast and shallow as Ben continued to moan and grunt with every one of her ministrations. Her mind screamed for her to stop, that she was already squirming where she knelt, that her hands were already trembling as it continued to slide and squeeze his muscles, but she couldn't stop. The noises Ben was making were egging her on, making her want to hear more.

"Uh...ah...fuck, Rey," he hissed, drawing another ragged breath from Rey. "Fuck, you're so...fucking...good at this…"

She knew she shouldn't be thinking it, but out of context, his words sounded like...like he was...that she...that they were..

Rey turned her face away, even though she knew he couldn't see her. The instinct to hide the blush she knew was tinting her cheeks was too strong.

Then, she felt fingers move over hers, and when she looked, she saw Ben reaching behind his back, grabbing hold of her hand and guiding her to a spot at the back of his neck.

"There…" he breathed, bowing his head a little to make it easier for her. She massaged him where he wanted, but he still didn't let go of her hand. "Yes, yes there...ah...so good. You're so good at this, Rey…"

"Grandpa said I'm really talented with my hands," Rey said in a tone that gave her pause. Her voice had sounded silken. Seductive almost, and beads of sweat began forming on her forehead. She hadn't meant to sound like that at all.

"Talented hands indeed," Ben agreed, his voice deeper than she had ever heard it, and it made her stomach do somersaults especially when he let out a prolonged moan. "Actually, magic fingers is more like it."

Magic fingers. Ben said she had magic fingers, and she was suddenly lost in thought as she watched the muscles between his neck and shoulders reshape in her hands. Yes, she could show him how magical her fingers could be. She could run them down his arms, over his shoulders and down his lower back, maybe even have him turn around so she could run them across his smooth, well-defined chest, to the hard planes of his abdomen, going even lower, and lower until-

Oh God.

Almost instantly, Rey took her hands off Ben as if she had been burned. Ben was quick to turn around to look at her, his eyes wide and his lips slightly parted.

"I-I n-need to go," Rey stammered and clambered off the bed, not daring to look him. "Hannah's waiting for me downstairs. Just take painkillers if you're still in pain and you'll be fine."

Ben didn't reply, and she took that opportunity to walk briskly out of his room and into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

She pressed her back against the door and willed her breathing to slow, but it was no use. Not when her mind still ran amok, filling her head with images so inappropriate, she had to bury her face in her palms. Why in the world had those thoughts even crossed her mind? This was Ben, for crying out loud! Her friend, one of the few constants in her life, for the moment at least. She shouldn't be thinking about him this way and yet...

She shook her head. No, just no. This was nothing. Nothing but an overactive imagination and a sudden surge of hormones. She should let this out of her system, she thought. Maybe all she needed was to...to get intimate with someone, but the thought of sleeping with other men didn't appeal to her at all, and she wasn't sure why.

Or maybe she did know. She just didn't want to think about it. Those thoughts were far too dangerous, and there was only one course of action to take: ignore her feelings, just as she always had, regardless of how much it clamored for her attention. She could only hope she would succeed.

* * *

Ben paced in his room, one hand on his hip, the other running across his jaw and rubbing his lips. His bare feet complained from the roughness of the carpet, his skin from the chill of the morning even as the sun began to ride higher in the sky. He was too lost in thought to think of something so trivial as discomfort. Sure, his shoulders and neck still hurt a little, but Rey's massage and the painkillers he took had turned it into a dull ache.

Rey's massage…

He put both hands on his hips and lowered his head. He could still feel Rey's hands all over him, her fingers nimbly pressing and squeezing his tense muscles, her palms kneading his shoulders and neck. It had felt so damned good, he had forgotten he was depressed over the things she had said the night before, and all he had wanted was to remain in that moment, when she was so close and practically breathing on his neck. A shiver ran down his spine at the memory, and he had to sit back down on the bed, in the exact spot where Rey had massaged him.

He stared at his feet, and ran a hand across his dark hair. That massage had been the most intimate experience he'd had in years. He had his fair share of women of course, but never with one he was so connected to that every single touch from her exuded intimacy. But it had gone beyond that. The massage had turned sensual, at least in his mind, and his blood had rushed through his body until he felt himself grow hard.

His eyes widened. Was that why Rey abruptly ended the massage and practically fled his room? Did she see? No, she couldn't have. He had his back turned the entire time. Still, the thought of her bearing witness to his arousal ate away at him, gnawing at his insides until he felt sick in the stomach. He was her friend. She had made that perfectly clear the night before and had drawn a line between them. Yet, he couldn't stop being attracted to her. Couldn't stop loving her.

And now, sexual feelings were in the mix.

This could only end well, he thought wryly.

He let out a sharp breath and put on his robe. He'd stayed in his room long enough. It was time to check on the girls.

He put on his bedroom slippers and hurried down to the living room, where Rey and Hannah sat on the couch, staring at the wall-mounted flat screen TV above the mantle. They were watching ' _The Parent Trap',_ if he wasn't mistaken, the one starring Lindsay Lohan. It was an old movie, but Hannah still loved it.

Hannah was the first to notice him standing nearby. "Daddy! How are you feeling?"

Rey looked up too, though she was quick to avoid his eyes.

He swallowed and turned his attention to his daughter. "I'm feeling better, thanks to Rey and some painkillers." He paused for a moment, before thanking Rey.

"You're welcome," Rey said. Her body seemed rigid, and her voice stiff.

"Daddy, you missed half of the movie already," Hannah whined through her mouth full of popcorn.

Ben smiled. "I've seen this movie far too many times. I'm not missing much." He strode towards the couch, and after a moment's hesitation, sat down, not next to Hannah like he usually did, but right next to Rey. She instantly straightened from her slouched position, her eyes still trained on the screen, though she didn't move away, despite the fact that they were separated by only inches.

After a time, Hannah got off the couch and presented her empty bowl. "I'm going to get some more popcorn."

"I'm coming with you," Rey quickly offered, but Hannah shook her head vigorously.

"Just stay here and watch the movie with Daddy, Rey. You're going to miss the best parts." She grinned and hurried to the direction of the kitchen. "I'll be right back."

Ben stared after his daughter until she disappeared down the hall. He was alone with Rey. Good. He needed to talk to her. To clear the air between them.

He licked his lips and mustered the courage to speak. "Rey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Ben," Rey said tersely, which chafed at him.

"You say you're fine, but you won't even look at me," he muttered under his breath.

"I'm trying to watch the movie," she shot back, a tad bit more annoyed than Ben would've liked. "I haven't seen this in a long time."

He sighed deeply, grabbed the remote and paused the movie. Rey was quick to turn to him, brows meeting and looking indignant.

"I was watching that," she protested.

"And I was talking to you," he replied flatly, putting the remote back on the coffee table before facing Rey again. "Rey, what's wrong? Did I do anything, say anything to make you uncomfortable?"

She scowled. "What makes you think I'm uncomfortable?"

"For one thing, you didn't finish the massage and practically ran out of my room," Ben pointed out. "For another, you're quite snappish at me. Why?"

Rey opened her mouth before clamping her lips shut and looking away. Ben waited for her to speak, but when it was clear she wasn't going to be forthcoming, he let out a breath and leaned against the couch.

It was a while before he spoke. "Rey...I don't have that many friends. You're one of the few that I have and I don't want anything to come between us." Getting those words out was like pulling teeth, but he had to accept that friends were all they ever could be, and that would start with him acknowledging it. Besides, he truly didn't want to have any rift between them. "So please. If you could just tell me what I did wrong…"

He let the silence stretch on as he waited for Rey's response. Her shoulders gradually relaxed along with her expression, and she mumbled something he couldn't hear.

"I'm sorry, Rey, what was that?"

"It was...you made noises that uhm...made me uncomfortable," Rey finally admitted, her face and ears blooming red.

"Noises?" Ben echoed. "What noises?"

"All the moaning and grunting you…" Rey looked like she wanted to shrink and disappear. She shook her head and gave him a weak smile. "I'm probably reading too much into it. I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry."

That gave Ben a pause. So did that mean she was affected? That his moans had some kind of effect on her?

A smile slowly crept up his lips. He should be mortified, but instead, he was growing more and more devious by the minute.

He shifted closer and put an arm on the backrest behind Rey. "You mean this noise?" He took in a breath and let out a long and exaggerated moan.

Rey gasped. "S-Stop it!"

Her panicked expression amused him far more than he had expected, and instead of stopping, he decided to push his luck. "Or maybe you mean this? Ooooh…fuuuuuck...so good..."

"Ben, stop!" This time, Rey grabbed a throw pillow and pounded his head with it, but he was far from offended. He liked how she felt safe enough to do that without fear of retaliation, and he felt even more elated when he heard her laugh, albeit nervously. "Just stop! Hannah might hear!"

"Okay, I'll stop." He chuckled and gave her the widest smile. "I'm just teasing you, Rey. Friends tease each other, right?"

She glared at him for a moment before her features softened. "You're impossible."

"And you're still cute when you scowl," he said, and he found it adorable when she pouted even more. "If this was one of our complimenting games, you'd still lose."

"So we have a game now?"

"Of course we do. That will be our signature game as friends." Ben did his best to hold his smile. He knew he was stressing their friendship so much to the point of being repetitive, but Rey seemed to loosen up with each reminder of their relationship status. It still stung, but it was better than having her act all weird around him. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Rey. But I couldn't help it. You're really good at massages. Is there even anything you _can't_ do?"

Rey's pout turned into a sheepish smile, and Ben was glad she seemed to finally get over the awkwardness from earlier. "There is one thing. I uhm...can't swim."

"No. Really?"

"Yes, really. Both Tatooine County and Jakku are desert towns. There isn't a body of water for miles."

"I could teach you," Ben offered. "We have a heated pool in the back."

"I know. Hannah pointed that out to me." Rey twisted her lips a little. "I don't have a swimsuit though."

Ben felt like his brain had short-circuited. The thought of Rey in a swimsuit, of seeing more of her sun-kissed skin was too much for him to process, and saliva pooled in his mouth when he pictured her in a two piece.

"Ben?"

"Oh! Yes. Of course." Ben swallowed, his nerves so jangled, it took all his willpower to appear cool and collected. "I...you could buy one at the mall. Or shop for one online whichever you prefer."

Rey shook her head. "I haven't gotten a handle on online shopping yet. I prefer actually trying on clothes to make sure they fit."

Ben's thoughts took off like a kite with a broken string, carried away to images of Rey in a mall changing room, trying on a variety of swimsuits and modeling them for him. He imagined he'd be terrible at helping her pick because she'd probably look good in all of them.

He kicked himself internally back to his senses and crossed his legs. _Focus, Ben Solo, focus! Don't make this weird._ "That...that makes sense. We could go to the mall right now. There's still time and I...Hannah can help you pick out a swimsuit."

Rey leaned further back into the couch, her nape and hair touching Ben's arm on the couch's backrest. He dared not move. "Maybe next time, Ben. I don't really feel like learning how to swim right now."

"Oh? What do you feel like doing?" Ben's eyes moved to where Rey's head rested against his arm.

"Watching this movie for one thing." Rey narrowed her eyes at him, as though reprimanding him for his interruption earlier but he could tell she wasn't really mad. She then lifted herself away from the couch, the loss of contact making Ben's shoulders sag. "I think I need to check on Hannah. She's been gone a while."

"Okay. I...need to take a shower." He excused himself from Rey and hurried back up to his room, where he stormed towards the bathroom and quickly discarded his clothes, cursing at the hardness between his legs.

He turned the shower valve to cold, almost shouting when the icy droplets hit his skin, his whole body seizing and his teeth chattering. Still, he didn't turn on the hot water. A cold shower was exactly what he needed to cool down the heat in his body and in his thoughts.

* * *

Lunch was a lot more pleasant than breakfast now that she and Ben had cleared that weird vibe between them. He even helped her cook, which Rey thought was nice. Hannah didn't join them for some reason, and was content with waiting for them in the dining room, leaving them both alone in the kitchen. Rey didn't really mind though. She needed to be around Ben some more, to make sure that all was right between them.

And all was right. He laughed. He smiled. He teased and he joked. It seemed to her that he was trying his best to make up for making her feel uncomfortable earlier. And it was working, if not for the memory of his moans that was forever seared in her head, but she could compartmentalize that and just focus on enjoying his company for now, although she knew she wouldn't be able to promise herself that she wouldn't think about it especially during lonely nights, when her thoughts were much louder.

They decided on another round of Mario Kart on Hannah's Switch after lunch. Hannah had conspired with Rey beforehand, so halfway through the game, they surprised Ben by teaming up against him until for the first time, Rey got second place. Hannah was first, while Ben was dead last.

"No fair!" Ben complained, though there was a twinkle in his eyes when he said it. "Since when did you girls learn to gang up on me?"

"You keep winning, Daddy. It's only fair that Rey and I win for once." Hannah turned to Rey and gave her a high five.

They played some more until Rey saw Ben glance up at the clock. It was nearing two in the afternoon.

His face grew somber, and he slowly put away his joystick. "Hannah, I think it's time to end the game. Rey needs to leave soon."

Hannah was quick to stand up from the bean bag, hands trembling. "But Daddy, it's still too early!"

"I know, honey, but I don't want Rey to have to travel at night. It's not safe," Ben explained gently, and Rey felt her heart constrict as she pressed herself further into her bean bag. She understood what Ben was saying, and she appreciated that he was looking after her well-being, but she also understood what Hannah must be feeling. She didn't want to have to leave either.

Rey saw Hannah look at her. The girl's eyes were glassy, and her nose was starting to turn red. Rey quickly got up and pulled her daughter into a hug, Hannah burying her face into Rey's abdomen. "Hey, sweetie. It's okay. We'll see each other again."

"You promise?" Hannah sniffled.

"I promise," Rey vowed, then cupped the girls face in her hands and made her look up at her while she did her best to memorize every detail of their shared features. It really was like looking at a miniature version of herself, but Ben's features were there too, and somehow, that made it even harder to have to part with her. "We'll still talk on your daddy's laptop like we always do. We'll have so many video calls that you won't miss me at all."

"I'll never _not_ miss you, Rey," Hannah said, her voice shaking so much that Rey had to hold her again, if only to stop how she was trembling herself.

She wiped the corners of her eyes with the cuff of her sweater and turned to smile weakly at Ben. He smiled back, though it was a small smile that didn't even reach his eyes.

"You and Hannah should go get your bag," he said and quickly turned away. "I'll go get us an Uber so we can get our cars from Uncle Chewie's."

* * *

The ride to Chewie's car restoration shop was quiet. Even Hannah was just silently looking out the window, though she did keep her hand laced with Rey's as mother and daughter sat in the backseat, Ben in the passenger's seat with the equally quiet Uber driver. And the closer they got to shop, the more Rey felt Hannah's fingers tighten in hers.

Once they had disembarked from their Uber, Rey readjusted the sling of her duffel bag over her shoulder and walked behind Ben while still holding Hannah with her free hand. Chewie was already there to greet them by the entrance. It was Sunday, so the shop was empty of workers.

"Welcome back!" Chewie exclaimed, and gave each of them a big hug that Rey found herself warming up to. "Here to get your babies back, yes?"

Rey nodded. "I'm really sorry you had to wait for us, Chewie. I know it's probably your day off but-"

Chewie waved a hand to stop her. "No need to be sorry for anything. I'm actually excited to show you your truck. Stay there. I'll drive her out."

Rey's brows met, and she looked at Hannah, who seemed just as lost as she was, although Ben was smiling warmly when she looked at him. She could sense that he knew something was up.

Then she heard the familiar sounds of her Grandpa's old Chevy, though it didn't sputter or make other weird noises like before. She turned to the direction of the engine noises and the truck she saw drive out from behind unfinished vehicles made her drop her bag to the floor.

There, coming towards them, was one of the most beautiful pickups she had ever seen. Silver trimmings polished to mirrors and the body painted in fire engine red, it took several moments of gawking before Rey realized it was her grandfather's truck.

Chewie stopped the truck in front of them, and Rey circled the vehicle, her jaw still hanging open, and she'd had to cover her mouth with both hands. The dents and rusted metal parts were gone, all painted and replaced. The wheels were new, and the visor she had installed over the car window had been removed, replaced by an indoor visor instead, which she saw once she took a peek of the truck's interior. The worn out leather seats with the springs jutting out had been replaced too, and even the dashboard and the steering wheel looked brand new.

"You like it?" Chewie asked from behind her. "It was a helluva restoration project to pull off in 48 hours. Took all the shop's manpower and overtime hours but we did it! It's not as polished as my other projects but-"

"Not as polished?" Rey almost squeaked. "Chewie, this is gorgeous! If you consider this unpolished, I can't even imagine what a full restoration looks like!" Her own words gave her pause, and she swallowed thickly as she looked at the truck again. She was suddenly afraid to touch it. "Chewie...I can't pay for this."

"You don't have to. It's already been paid for."

"By who?"

Instead of answering, Chewie pointed with a thick thumb to Ben, who stood beside him with wide eyes, as though he had been caught doing something he shouldn't.

"Ben!" Rey gasped, then walked towards him, her emotions in such turmoil, she didn't even know what to make of it. "The truck...how...why?"

"I can explain." Ben held his hands up in front of him, lowering them only when Rey managed to even her breathing. "After Chewie did a more thorough checkup on the truck, he found out that it had a host of problems that could compromise your safety. I had him fix all that to ensure that you're safe whenever you go to work, or when you travel from Jakku to Coruscant to visit Hannah and me."

"I understand that, but...you didn't have to give it a makeover." Rey looked at the truck again, gleaming in all its newly-painted glory. She knew the Chevy had issues, and she was going to deal with those issues herself when she had the time and resources to do so. But now Ben had stepped in to help and she was torn between gratefulness and shame. "This is too much, Ben. Please. Let me pay you back. I'll-"

He put a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she instantly fell silent. "Rey, there's no need to pay me back. In fact, I should be doing more, especially after everything you've done for me and Hannah. You've been a great mother to her, a good friend to me, and you've helped mend my relationship with my daughter. So please. Let me do this one thing for you."

She looked deep into his warm brown eyes and found nothing but sincerity in them, plus something else she couldn't define. She looked away to stare at the truck once more, before looking at Ben again, still unsure of what to say.

Then, he said, "I know how much this truck means to you Rey, and that's another reason why I'm helping you preserve it. Your grandfather would've loved this, I think."

The tension in Rey's shoulders finally disappeared, and without thinking, she flung her arms around Ben, pressing the side of her face against his chest, the softness of his sweater caressing her cheek. The shame was gone now, and all that remained was gratitude as she clung on to Ben, tightening her embrace when she felt him wrap his arms around her in return. Warmth bubbled up from somewhere inside of her, and she wished nothing more than to freeze this moment in time so it would last a little longer.

She didn't stop hugging Ben until she heard the click of a camera, and she lifted her head to find Hannah, holding up her phone to them and grinning from ear-to-ear. Rey sighed and slowly extricated herself from Ben. As with the last few days, the girl had been taking as many photos and videos as she could of her parents.

"Aww, this is all too sweet." Chewie laughed and held his hand out for Hannah's phone. "Give me your phone, princess. Then go to Mommy and Daddy so I can take a shot of all three of you by the truck."

Hannah eagerly handed over her phone and stood between Rey and Ben, making peace signs with her hands while Chewie took photo after photo. Rey did her best to smile, keeping it together even though she was close to crying from sheer happiness. It helped that Ben was close, that he had one arm over her shoulder, and she leaned into him, grateful for his presence, for his gift and for his friendship.

Once they were done taking photos, Ben looked at his wristwatch, his smile disappearing. "It's almost three. If you leave now, you can still be back in Jakku before sun down."

Rey nodded then knelt down to hug Hannah once again, swaying the little girl in her arms as she did. "I'll call you when I get home, okay Sweetie?"

"Okay, Rey. I look forward to it." Hannah let go of her, and she stood up to thank Chewie and give him a hug too.

"Just doing my job," Chewie chuckled, then let her go and pointed at Ben. "He's the one you should be thanking. Not me."

"Of course." Rey turned to Ben, her cheeks actually starting to hurt from smiling so much. She once again pulled Ben into a tight hug, kissing his cheek as she did. This time, he didn't pull away. "Thank you, Ben. I'll never forget this."

Ben buried her face into her hair as he held her tighter against him, and Rey allowed herself to be swept up by the warmth that seemed to pass between them until she felt his lips on her cheek.

She pulled back to look at him, but he was staring at her with such softness, whatever alarm she may have felt at his unexpected kiss melted away, and she was back to smiling again.

"You two need a room," Chewie remarked, and Rey immediately let go of Ben, tucking her hair behind her ear as she lowered her head.

"When will I see you again?" Ben asked. His choice of words made her look up at him, and he quickly corrected, "Me and Hannah. When will we see you again? Would next weekend be too soon, or..."

"I'd love to come back next weekend," Rey said, a little more enthusiastically than she had intended, and she quickly dialed back her excitement. "I mean, if you guys will still have me."

"We'll still have you, Rey!" Hannah exclaimed, jumping up and down for a bit before holding Rey's hand with both of hers. "We'll have you forever! Right Daddy?"

Ben beamed and patted his daughter on the head before looking at Rey again. "Would it be too much to ask that we see each other every weekend?"

Rey's answer was immediate. "No. It's not too much at all."

The brightness in Ben and Hannah's faces could've lit up the entire building, Rey thought, Ben's especially. And it was in that moment that she realized she wanted this man to be happy. He deserved to be happy and if she could be a small part in bringing him this much joy, then she would do everything in her power to see it happen.


	15. Chapter 15

That first weekend she spent at Hannah and Ben's was like a dream she didn't want to wake up from. The meals they had together, the fun, the laughter and all the shared moments in between all combined into a kaleidoscope of memories she would treasure for all her life. And what's even better was that there would be more memories to come, now that she and Ben have arranged for her to visit every weekend.

There were, however, some memories she chose to put away-like the way Ben looked at her, the way he sang to her, the way he moaned under her touch, the warmth of his embrace and the feel of his lips against her cheek. To think about them paved the way for a myriad of emotions she dared not decipher, though sometimes she had to remind herself not to trek in that direction. That way could only lead to heartbreak, and she wasn't about to sacrifice this happiness for selfish desires. She had an amazing daughter in Hannah and a great friend in Ben. They were more than she could ever have hoped for. She had no right to ask for more.

And yet…

"You alright there, Kenobi?"

Startled, Rey turned away from her closed locker and faced a fellow general labourer, Tallie Lintra, who was just untying her brown hair to let it loose.

"You've been standing there all zoned out for a while," Tallie continued when Rey didn't speak. "Everything alright?"

"I'm fine, Tallie. Just tired from the shift, that's all." Rey opened her locker, her eyes homing in on the pictures she had taped to the inside of the locker door. There was still that photo of her younger self and a then healthy Benedict Kenobi, but beside it, she had taped on a picture of herself, Hannah and Ben by her restored pick up truck which Chewie had taken the previous weekend. She had gone to the center of town almost immediately after Hannah sent the files over and had it printed. A bigger photo was already framed and mounted on her wall.

"Who's the hunk?"

Rey nearly jumped out of her overalls and glared at Tallie, who had somehow managed to sneak up behind her without making a noise. "Jeez, Tallie, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all. "But seriously. Who's the hunk and that little girl with you in the photo?" Tallie scrunched up her nose before her eyes widened. "Wait a minute...Kenobi, I thought you were single?"

"I am. He's just a friend and that's his daughter."

"Yeah, but the daughter looks a lot like you."

Rey refused to say anything more, and just simply stored her hard hat and retrieved her car keys. She had been acquainted with Tallie Lintra long enough to know that the girl was a gossip, and the last thing she wanted was to field questions or endure the stares and whispers of her coworkers.

"Was that photo from when you got your new truck?" Tallie continued, clearly unperturbed by the silence as Rey took off her overalls and changed into a tank top and shorts . "People have been talking about your new truck, you know."

That gave Rey a pause. She honestly just wanted to ignore the girl and go home, but she felt the need to speak up about it. "It's not a new truck. It's my old truck. My...I just got it restored."

"You mean that was that beat up old thing you used to drive?" Tallie whistled. "That must have taken some serious cash."

"Bye, Tallie." Rey waved and hurried out of the locker room before the woman could talk her ear off some more. She wasn't about to tell the tattletale of the junkyard how she got her new ride.

Rey didn't stop hurrying until she was close to the parking lot. Finally, she could go home and talk to Ben and Hannah again, as they have always done. She would have dinner in front of her computer while they took Ben's laptop with them on the dining table. It was a little extra effort on their part but Rey appreciated it. It made her feel less alone.

She stepped out of the junkyard garage, striding past her coworkers vehicles in the parking lot when she saw someone that made her freeze in her tracks.

There, circling her pickup truck was the junkyard boss Unkar Plutt. His buttoned shirt still had the stains from when he spilled the morning coffee she had made for him on himself, and his belly protruded over a belt that was wound too tight around his large hips.

Plutt turned towards her and gave her a smile that sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine.

"I see you've bought a new truck," Plutt said, running a hand over the vehicle's hood. Rey made a mental note to wipe the hood later.

"It's still my grandfather's truck." Rey took a step forward, hoping to get inside the truck but Plutt was in the way. "It was just restored, that's all."

"Is that why you asked for half the day off last Friday? To get this truck restored?"

Rey was about to say no, but quickly realized that she couldn't tell Plutt about her trip to Coruscant. Not only would it be too complicated to explain about Hannah and Ben, she just didn't want Plutt to know that aspect of her personal life, and so she nodded. "Yes."

Plutt harrumphed and took his hand off the hood. "How were you even able to afford this with your salary and the loan payments you're still making? Don't tell me you took out another loan to get this done."

Rey felt indignant and shamed at the same time, and she clenched her fists at her sides. "I didn't pay for it. It was a gift from a friend."

"A gift?" Plutt raised a bushy brow, wrinkles on his forehead moving up to a receding hairline. "This is quite an expensive gift coming from someone who's just a friend."

Rey started to speak, but was unable to find the words, so she kept her mouth shut again.

Plutt took a step forward. "Rey, nothing in this world is free. People will always expect something in return. The more money they invest on you, the more they want to get out of you."

"Ben's not like that," Rey blurted out.

"Ben? So it's a guy friend, huh?"

Rey's lips tighten into a fine line as she mentally kicked herself. She shouldn't have said anything.

"Rey, I'm just looking out for you." Plutt moved closer until he was circling Rey. She could do nothing but follow him with her eyes. "Your grandfather, rest his soul, trusted me to be your loan guarantor, your employer, and I hope, your friend. I just want to make sure other men don't take advantage of you."

Rey felt her anger spike, not for her, but for Ben. Ben had been nothing but kind to her, and she couldn't just stand idly by while he was slandered.

"Ben's not like other men," she said, doing her best to speak calmly even though her words came through gritted teeth.

"All men are the same, dear girl." Plutt stopped in front of her, and Rey looked up at him defiantly until he put his hand on her shoulder, and she felt as though she had turned to stone. "You can't let yourself trust so easily. Men will always want something, especially from someone as pretty as you."

From her shoulder, Plutt slowly slid his hand down her arm, and Rey felt as though she was coated in slime. Her only consolation was that the moment lasted only for a second before Plutt pulled away, but the disgust, horror and humiliation remained.

Plutt stepped aside and Rey walked as calmly as she could to her truck, breathing heavily when she reached the driver's side door. After gaining a semblance of control, an idea, a desperate idea formed in her head, and she looked up to see Plutt still standing there, still staring at her the way he had always done-with hunger in his eyes.

"Mr. Plutt?"

"Please, dear, call me Unkar," Plutt corrected. "We've known each other for almost a decade. Hell, I've known you since you were a teenager. I think it's time you called me by my first name, yes?"

"Yes Mr. Plu-I mean Unkar." The name felt thick on her tongue, and she felt like choking. Slowly, she stepped away from her vehicle so she could face her boss again. "Unkar, I...I would like to...to tender my resignation."

The air seemed to have been sucked out in a vacuum until Rey was barely breathing, hands clasped in front of her, knuckles turning white.

Unkar's face darkened. "Why? Is it because of this Ben character you've been talking about?"

"N-no." Rey shook her head, though the vicious way in which Plutt spat out Ben's name frightened her. "I...I got a job offer in Coruscant."

Plutt shook his head, his cheeks and jowls jiggling. "No. You signed an agreement to remain in Jakku until you have fully paid your loan to the bank. That was one of my stipulations before I agreed to be your guarantor."

"Yes, but if I get this job, then I could pay the loan faster," Rey tried to reason. "And I won't be moving to Coruscant. I will still come back here to Jakku every weekend. I'm not going to run away from my financial responsibilities, I swear. And either way, I won't leave my grandfather's house."

"No." Plutt's tone was firm. "Even if I could trust you not to run away, I need to think about my business. You're one of my best employees and I'd hate to lose you. Besides, with your grandfather gone, somebody has to look out for you."

He said the last line softly, as though he wanted to sound fatherly, but Rey thought he only succeeded in sounding sleazy.

She started to protest, to tell him that she could take care of herself, but he spoke first. "If money is what you're worried about, I could give you a raise. All you had to do was ask, my dear."

Rey narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She may not interact much with her coworkers, but she knew enough from their grumbling that Plutt didn't just give raises. That was one of the reasons why his employee turnover was so high.

"You'll give me a raise?" Rey asked, her tone incredulous. "In exchange for what?"

Plutt put a hand over his heart and feigned a hurt expression. "My dear, you wound me. Truly. I'm just being helpful."

"You just told me nothing in the world is free," Rey reminded, which made Plutt laugh so loud, she nearly jumped.

"Touche," he said with a grin, then stepped closer to put his hand on her shoulder again. She tried to move away but he tightened his grip. "I already told you what I want, my dear. Stay in Jakku. Work for me and make me my morning coffee like always. Nobody makes my coffee like you do." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, moving his thumb back and forth across her exposed skin. Each pass of his thumb felt like he was smearing grease. "Any other concerns?"

"No, sir." Rey swallowed. She didn't want to say anything more. She just wanted this conversation to end.

"Good. I'll have Erin draw out the paperwork for the raise." Plutt finally let go of her, but not before chucking her chin up lightly. "Chin up, Rey. Things are going to look up for you from here on out. I'll make sure of that."

* * *

Ben stopped typing on his laptop and stared at his silent phone. It was half an hour past seven in the evening, and Rey still hadn't called. He had tried to video call her the minute he got home almost two hours ago, but she wasn't online so he had resorted to calling, only for the calls to go straight to voicemail. He had left several already and sent her a number of texts, all of which were left unanswered. Even Hannah was beginning to worry, and he'd had to put on a brave front and tell her Rey was probably doing overtime at work, though he himself didn't believe that. Rey always let him know ahead of time if she had to work extra hours.

He got off his office chair and walked around his desk to pace in his study. He was still in his work clothes but he had no inclination to change. In fact, he didn't want to do anything else but try and contact Rey, but he had exhausted all his options. Niima Junkyard's office hours were over so there were no answers to his long distance calls, and he had no contact information of Rey's coworkers or of her friends, Finn and Poe. And even if he did, the couple lived in D'Qar City so they wouldn't be able to check on Rey.

He began biting at his thumbnail as he calculated the time it would take for him to make the trip to Jakku himself. He needed to get to her. His instincts were telling him something was wrong, and his mind was running through the worst case scenarios.

He shook his head and grabbed a fistful of his hair. He had to keep it together. He had to stay calm for Hannah, even though sweat was beginning to bead over his cold forehead. The thought that something had happened to Rey gnawed at him, making him physically ill, and he resolved to go to Jakku if she still didn't call or answer his calls within the next hour.

Then, his video call app rang, and his knees nearly gave way as he scrambled back towards his laptop to answer. And when he saw Rey's face, he was hit by instant relief, though with it, came a bit of anger.

"Rey! Where were you?" he questioned, his voice a little shrill. "I've been calling and texting you the past couple of hours. I was about ready to drive to Jakku to check up on you."

"I'm sorry, Ben. I didn't mean to make you worry," came Rey's soft reply, and whatever anger Ben may have felt dissolved into concern. Her hair was stringy, and she was in a bathrobe, telling him she had just had a shower. Her skin was shiny and splotched red in some places, like it had been scrubbed raw, and her eyes were puffy as though she had been crying.

Ben leaned in, his rapid breaths now slowing. "Rey...what happened?"

Rey was quiet for a moment, eyes averted, and her thumbnail between her teeth before she shook her head and gave him a small smile. "Stress from work. It's nothing, Ben. And I'm sorry for not answering your calls. I was in the bathroom for a while."

"Why? Are you sick?"

"No. I just needed...a long hot shower, that's all."

Ben pressed his lips together as Rey once again averted her gaze. She was acting strange. "Rey, you know you can tell me anything. What's wrong? Really?"

He waited patiently for her to answer, his concern growing with every silent moment that passed between them. He found himself wishing he was there with her, to hold her and tell her everything was going to be fine, to have her in his arms and comfort himself with the fact that she was still there, as well as can be. Because despite everything she had said the previous weekend, the lines she had drawn and his own acceptance of what should not be, he was still very much in love with her. If only he didn't need to deny it for her sake and for Hannah's.

After a time, Rey let out a shaky breath and said, "Ben, I know I'm supposed to take half the day off this Friday again so I can arrive at Coruscant before nightfall, but...I can't. I'm going to have to travel on Saturday morning instead."

The crease in between Ben's brows deepened. "Are you saying Plutt refused to give you time off?"

"No. I never got to ask him. But he…" Rey trailed off and bit on her lower lip as if to stop herself before she continued. "Look. I just don't want to be further indebted to him than I already am. Bad enough that he's the guarantor for Grandpa's medical loans. I don't want to owe him any more favors."

Ben narrowed his eyes. There was more to what Rey was telling him. There had to be. But before he could further pry, knocks echoed through his office door, and Hannah peeked in.

"Daddy, the pizza's here." She entered the study, carrying the box of pizza with her, which she gently placed on the desk. She squealed when she saw who was on the laptop. "Rey! Omigosh, you're here! Daddy and I were so worried when we couldn't reach you earlier."

"Sorry about that, honey." Rey put on a smile. Ben knew she was just trying to appear okay. He could tell she was still upset. "Are you guys having pizza for dinner? You didn't cook?"

"Nope," Hannah answered, standing closer to the laptop so Ben had to back away a little to give his daughter more space. "Daddy and I couldn't concentrate on cooking. We were so worried about you. So Daddy decided on pizza instead."

"I'm really sorry," Rey apologized again. "But I'm fine. Really. I just got sidetracked, that's all."

"Are you ready for this weekend, Rey?" Hannah asked. "Daddy says he's giving you swimming lessons. Do you have a swimsuit yet?"

Ben felt his fingers clench on the armrests of his chair. With everything that went on the past week and just that night's panic over Rey's late call, he had almost forgotten about the swimming lessons he had promised her. Once again, his mind was swarmed with images of Rey in a swimsuit, and he had to distract himself by opening the pizza box and gorging on a slice.

"No, I don't have one yet. None of the stores at the center of town carry swimsuits," Rey said.

"Then let's shop here in Coruscant!" Hannah suggested excitedly. "Daddy can drive us to the mall and I can help you pick. Right, Daddy?"

Ben could only nod as he stuffed his mouth with a second slice of pizza, concentrating on the salty, gummy mozzarella, the slight sweetness of the salami, the hint of bitterness in the bell pepper. Anything to get his mind off things. But when Hannah started talking to Rey about whether she wanted a one piece or a two piece, he had to excuse himself with the guise of getting something to drink. He practically fled to the kitchen, popped open a can of beer and chugged it down. Good God, if he could barely keep himself together with just his imagination, he couldn't begin to fathom what it would be like when he actually saw her in a swimsuit. He could only hope he won't embarrass himself.

* * *

Daddy was acting all weird. One minute, he would be talking animatedly to Rey on the laptop about almost anything, but whenever she butted into the video call conversation to mention Rey's swimsuit, he would immediately excuse himself and leave her alone to talk to her mommy. It happened three nights in a row, up to the Friday night before Rey had to leave for Coruscant the next morning. His behavior confused her, until she saw how red in the face he was. She realized then that Daddy was embarrassed, though why he would be, confused her even more.

Hannah flipped through her phone, swinging her legs under the table while Daddy sat across her in the restaurant, head turning and craning from time to time for any sign of Rey. It was finally Saturday, and they had agreed to meet Rey in the mall by Coruscant's Central Square instead of the house. That way, they could have brunch together before going shopping for Rey's swimsuit, then be home for an afternoon of swimming lessons. Just for Rey though, not her. She could swim since she was five. Daddy was a great teacher, so she was sure Rey would learn quickly.

She eyed her father, who had settled for staring out the restaurant's glass walls, chin propped up by a palm. Pulling up a photo she liked in particular, she turned her phone to him and asked, "Daddy, you think Rey will look good in this?"

Ben turned to look, and almost immediately, his cheeks colored and his eyes widened before he reached out to make Hannah's phone face away from him. "Hannah, that's...that's too much."

"Too much what?" she asked. "Too much flowers? Too much pink maybe?"

"Too much...it's just too much, okay?" he said through gritted teeth and looked away again.

Hannah pouted and scrolled away from the printed bikini she had just shown her daddy. She happened to like that one. It had pretty pink flowers on it and she thought it would look great on Rey.

She scrolled through another bikini, this time with colorful butterflies on it, and showed it to her daddy again. "How about this one then? The butterflies are pretty and-"

"Hannah." Daddy's voice was firm this time. "Don't show me any more of those photos. Just...just keep it between you and Rey, okay?"

"But why, Daddy?" Hannah whined. "You're going to see Rey in a swimsuit later anyway, so what's the point of keeping it a secret?"

Daddy blinked and opened his mouth but no words came out. She tilted her head and eyed him curiously, when he suddenly stood up, his face bright. "Rey!"

Hannah turned to the direction Daddy was waving and squealed at the sight of Rey, coming into the restaurant with her duffel bag in tow. Unlike the dark sweaters she and her daddy were wearing, Rey wore a lovely pink, if a little frayed cardigan over her white top, her jeans ripped on the knees though Hannah wasn't sure if that was for fashion or if those were an old pair. Didn't matter though. Rey was here!

She got off her seat and ran towards her mother, wrapping her arms tight around her shoulders as Rey knelt down for a hug. Hannah giggled when Rey planted kisses all over her cheeks before standing up to greet Ben with a hug. Hannah saw them kiss each other on the cheek, and she had to stop herself from jumping up and down. Every little kiss, every little hug, every hold of a hand her parents shared made her want to do a victory dance but she also knew she had to restrain herself. She couldn't allow herself to be too obvious.

"How was your trip?" Daddy asked, leading Rey to sit beside her. "The truck running okay?"

"Yes, it's running very smoothly, thank you." Rey's smile faded a little. "Although, Plutt did give me a bit of grief about it."

"What do you mean?" Daddy asked.

Hannah looked up at Rey, who had her lips pressed together in a fine line. Hannah knew from conversations that Plutt was her mommy's boss. And the way she described him made her think of a blobfish with arms and legs.

Rey chewed on her lower lip. "He was...asking how I could afford a restoration with my salary."

"And what did you say?" Daddy pursued.

"I...I told him it was a gift from a friend." Rey averted her eyes, and Hannah instantly knew she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

She tugged on the sleeve of Rey's cardigan. "Rey, did I tell you about what I brought to show and tell last Tuesday?"

"No." Rey turned her attention to Hannah, and the relief on her face from the change of subject was obvious. "What did you bring?"

"A praying mantis!" Hannah mimicked a praying mantis's front legs with her hands. "Daddy found it drowning in the pool and he went to go save it."

"Did he, now?" Rey looked up at Daddy, who simply shrugged.

"I had to. I couldn't just leave it there," Daddy explained, then grinned. "At least it's good practice for me in case I need to save you in the pool."

Rey frowned. "What? Are you saying I could drown?"

"There's always a risk, but it'll be fine," Daddy quickly added when Rey grew pale. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay Rey?"

"Okay." Rey nodded. She still sounded nervous, but she didn't hunch up her shoulders anymore, and she began flipping through the menu. "So, what are we having for brunch? I'm starving!"

* * *

Hannah continued to munch on her fries and chicken tenders while Daddy and Rey talked over plates of nearly-finished surf and turf. She wasn't fond of seafood so she chose to order from the kids menu.

She looked up at her parents and did her best to hide a grin. She had dominated the conversation earlier with talk of how a lot of the girls in her class, and even some of the boys got scared of her praying mantis, but now, she was just letting Daddy and Rey talk by themselves. She didn't mind listening quietly from the sidelines if it meant her parents would grow closer. Sometimes, they would try to get her to join in, but she would excuse herself, saying she can't talk when her mouth was full. Besides, they were talking about books she had no interest in. Probably some of those small but thick books with a bazillion words in them and some adult stuff she wasn't supposed to read yet.

Daddy and Rey were still talking books by the time they left the restaurant, though they had since moved on to movies based on books. Daddy even invited Rey out to watch a movie in the cinema, and she could feel her father's disappointment when Rey said ' _maybe next time'_. Hannah was disappointed too.

"We can still watch a movie at home," Rey offered. "There's still a ton of movies on Netflix that we could watch."

"At home?" Daddy repeated, his voice a bit shaky, though he was grinning from ear to ear. "Sure, we can do that. Maybe tomorrow morning."

"I'll make the popcorn," Hannah declared. Yes, she would be the one to prepare their snacks. That way, her mommy and daddy can be alone in the living room for a while again, just like last time when she had left them to get popcorn in the kitchen. She could still remember the strange noises Daddy made followed by laughter from both of them. And she wanted nothing more than a repeat of that.

Still hand in hand with her parents, who were still neck deep in their conversation, Hannah dragged them into the department store, past the bags, shoes and clothes section until they reached the swimwear. She pulled on their hands until she felt her father let go.

She turned to look, and saw Daddy's face turn the same shade of red when she had him look at the swimsuit pictures in her phone earlier.

"I'm...going to uh...go look for swimming goggles. And uh, maybe a kickboard and a life jacket." He backed away and waved. "Let's meet up at the department store entrance. Just text me when you're done."

Hannah watched Daddy scurry away, and she looked up at Rey and said, "I think Daddy's just embarrassed to see you in a bikini."

Rey's cheeks turned pink. "I am _not_ wearing a bikini."

"Why not? I think you'll look great in one!"

"But it's cold."

"We have a heated pool."

Rey's lips trembled, and she gave Hannah a pained look.

Hannah sighed. "Okay, no bikinis."

"Thank you." Rey let out a breath. "Hey, why don't we ask help from the saleslady?"

"Okay, let's!"

* * *

Ben sat on one of the chairs by the rectangular pool, smearing himself with sunscreen while waiting for the girls to finish changing into their swimsuits. Coruscant may have a cool climate, but that didn't mean people didn't get sunburn. He and Hannah burned easily, and by the looks of things, the sun was going to ride high in the sky all afternoon.

He began to wonder if Rey burned as easily as they did. Maybe not, he thought, thinking about how tanned she was. She lived in a desert town and was used to working under the sun. Maybe she won't need it. Maybe she will. Maybe she'll let him slather lotion all over her...

Fuck.

Ben shook his head vigorously as though doing so would help shake away the thought of running his hands all over Rey's skin. Maybe the whole swimming lesson was a bad idea. Fuck, maybe his tight blue swimming trunks which barely left anything to the imagination was a bad idea. But there was no backing out now. They had been planning this for almost the entire week. He just had to reign himself in. Try to be nonchalant about this. He was just a good friend teaching her a new skill. Nothing more.

The sliding door at the back of the house opened, and Hannah ran out first in her purple one piece swimsuit with frills. Rey followed behind their daughter, still wearing a terry cloth robe, her arms wrapped around her shoulders as though she were cold or trying to cover herself. Probably the latter. It was after all, a hot early afternoon. Good thing he had anticipated the unusually hot weather and didn't crank up the pool heater.

"Put on some sunscreen, Hannah," he instructed, pointing to the bottle he had placed atop the neatly folded towels on the other pool chair. "You too, Rey. After that, we'll do some stretches."

Rey nodded quietly, white teeth over her lower lip as she untied her robe and shrugged it off.

Ben sucked in a breath, and he went stock-still, even as his pulse raced. Rey was wearing a white, high cut one piece with a neckline that plunged down her chest, showing off the small swells of her breasts. She had no cleavage to speak of, but it was never something that bothered Ben, although he was certainly bothered in a different way now. He had never seen so much of her skin, and the bathing suit looked stylish and tasteful, hugging her curves in all the right places.

"D-Do I look okay?" Rey asked. She was obviously embarrassed, crossing and uncrossing her arms and fiddling with her fingers. "A saleslady picked this out for me and Hannah approved. I've...I've never owned a swimsuit before so…"

"You look...you look great!" Ben cleared his throat and smiled. He hoped he didn't come off as creepy, and he had to discreetly adjust his trunks before standing up and gesturing to where Hannah was putting sunscreen on herself.

Rey walked over to their daughter and sat on the pool chair with her, putting globs of sunscreen and lathering herself with it. Hannah helped her smear some on her back, and that's when Ben realized her swimsuit was practically backless, and the cut at the bottom was high enough that it accentuated the shape of her rear end, which to be frank, was very...shapely.

He quickly turned away and stood near the edge of the pool, wanting nothing more than to dive in and cool himself down. But he couldn't. He still had to do stretches with Rey and Hannah, and it was all he could do to breathe through his mouth and close his eyes to center himself. Mind over matter, that's what this was. Just mind over matter.

He managed to calm himself down just as Rey and Hannah stood beside him for the stretching exercises, and they mimicked him as he did squats, arm swings and shoulder stretches.

Once they were warmed up and ready, Ben dove into the deep end of the pool, Hannah jumping in after him while Rey took the stairs at the shallow end, which was about chest deep for her. Ben swam towards her while Hannah swam to the side of the pool to grab her inner tube.

Ben stood up and turned to his daughter, who had managed to maneuver herself so she was now sitting in her inner tube. "Sweetheart, aren't you going to help teach Rey?"

"You go teach her, Daddy," Hannah called, kicking a bit so she was further away. "I'll watch."

Ben shrugged and waded to Rey, who had managed to put on her goggles. "Ready, Rey?"

"Ready." Rey gave him a thumbs up as she hopped slightly in place. "What do we do first?"

Ben began Rey's lessons by teaching her how to hold her breath underwater. He held both her hands as she sank down, blowing bubbles like he had instructed her to. It wasn't the first time he held hands with her of course, but it still didn't stop his stomach from fluttering, especially when she tightened her grip on him from time to time.

After Rey succeeded in holding her breath for an extended amount of time, as well as successfully retrieving some coins Ben threw for her to the bottom of the shallow end, he decided it was time to teach her how to float. He started her on the dead man's float, which would have her floating face down and applying what she learned with the breathing exercises earlier. She was barely a few seconds into floating when Ben found himself distracted with the curve of her ass sticking out of the water. The only time he stopped staring was when Rey moved herself upright and gasped for air.

"How...did...I...do?" she said through labored breaths.

"Good. Good. You're a natural at this," he complimented as he readjusted his shorts again. Teaching Rey was a lot easier than he thought. It was trying to control his bodily reactions to her that was making it damn near impossible. "Now you gotta learn to float on your back."

He told her about taking air into her lungs to create buoyancy while breathing as normally as possible. Telling her to relax while splaying her arms and bending her knees, he supported her head and back at first, focusing intently on her face so his eyes wouldn't wander towards her nipples which protruded through her white swimsuit. Why the hell did they have to pick white? Sure it looked luminous against the nice tan of Rey's skin, but it showed him more than what he should be seeing.

Letting out a breath through gritted teeth, he let go of Rey, and she smiled when she was able to float without assistance.

"I'm doing it! Ben, I'm actually doing it!"

"Yes, you are. Now stand up and let's try again, but this time, without my help."

They moved through the lessons quickly, with kicking exercises while holding to the side of the pool, then using the kickboard to go around the pool, even to the deep end where Hannah still floated in her inner tube. He taught her how to tread through the water, and how to doggie paddle until she was paddling around him in circles. It wasn't her most graceful, but it was a huge step forward.

Ben later had Rey wear a life jacket so she could practice arm strokes while she swam back and forth from the shallows to the deep and back to him again. Pretty soon, Hannah joined her mother in swimming, encouraging her all the way, and Ben joined in, swimming with the girls.

"You're learning quickly, Rey," Hannah said, treading with Ben while Rey held on to her life jacket, kicking lightly. "It took me five lessons from Daddy before I was brave enough to go to the deep end by myself."

"The only reason I'm brave is because I have you two with me," Rey said, pulling her goggles up the top of her head. Ben could see the water's reflection sparkling in her eyes, and see the pink tint on her cheeks which were flushed from the exercise. "And your Daddy did promise that he won't let anything happen to me."

Ben had to smile at that. He liked that she trusted him, and he felt pride welling up in his chest. "Then, let's go swim some more until you're ready to do it without the life jacket."

Getting back into coaching, he swam alongside Rey and got her to swim at the shallows without the life jacket, making her go to and fro from one side to the other. He had her do it several more times in preparation for her swim at the deep end without any floatation device. He had to, especially since the sun was starting to set, and they were all pruny from being in the water for hours.

Then, he saw Hannah climbing up the pool's side ladder. "Where are you going, Sweetheart?"

"I'm just going to get something. Be right back!" Hannah grabbed a towel from the pool chair, drying herself up as she opened the sliding door and disappeared inside the house.

Ben frowned. What was that girl up to this time?

"I'm ready, Ben."

Ben turned back to Rey. She was looking up at him expectantly, and she was bouncing up and down gently, perhaps psyching herself up for the swim.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Yes." She nodded, then began to take slow steps further into the pool and pulling the goggles down over her eyes again. "Just stay there. I'll swim back to you."

She was kicking away before he could say anything more, and he watched as she splashed towards the deep end, arms moving one after the other until she reached the end of the pool and grabbed hold of the edge, taking in deep breaths as she did.

"That was great, Rey!" he encouraged. "Now, come back to me."

He watched her take another deep breath before launching herself back in the water, past the deep part and into the shallows until she reached his waiting arms, pulling herself up to his chest, sputtering a little as she moved the goggles over her head again.

Ben could barely contain his excitement. "You did it, Rey! You can swim!"

"I did it!" Rey laughed and lifted her hands off the water, and he half expected her to give him a double high five but she surprised him by throwing her arms around him. "Oh my God, thank you, Ben! Thank you."

His arms were around her in an instant, and she laughed and squealed when he tightened his embrace. This was a shared triumph, and he was so giddy from it, he couldn't stop smiling and laughing along with her.

He pulled back from the hug, his hands still linked behind her as he stared into her smiling face. Her eyes were partially covered with wet hair, and he instinctively reached out to push them away from her face and tuck them behind her ear.

They locked gazes; hazel eyes to hazel eyes. Laughter died and smiles faded as he continued to stare at her, his arms still around her while her hands rested on the planes of his chest. The droplets on her skin seemed to grow luminous under the rays of the setting sun, casting such a warm glow around her that Ben felt heat rise up his cheeks. They were so close; closer than they had ever been, and he could feel the warmth of her body against his.

The adrenaline and euphoria from earlier shot through his veins all at once, making his heart race. He glanced lower and stared at her mouth; at her pink lips which were parted with her shallow breaths. He could feel his own shoulders heaving when he saw her glance at his lips, and before he knew it, he was angling his face, his breath mingling with hers as he closed the distance between them…

"Daddy! Look what I found!"

Ben let go of Rey in an instant and spun around to face his daughter, who stood by the open sliding door, carrying three large water guns-Super Soakers-in her arms.

Hannah stopped at the edge of the pool, eyes moving from one parent to the other. "Uhm...did I interrupt anything?"

Ben snapped out of his trance. Nothing had happened. Absolutely nothing, and he felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment which he quickly buried under mischief. "Come here, you little squirt!"

Hannah shrieked when Ben got out of the pool, shooting at him with her Super Soaker before he managed to grab one she had discarded and began shooting her with it. Rey was quick to join in. Soon, the girls teamed up against him, squirting water all over him and backing him into a corner by the fence until he decided to fight dirty. He dropped his Super Soaker, hauled Rey and Hannah over his shoulders before jumping into the pool with them.

"No fair, Daddy, no fair!" Hannah cried out after emerging from the water.

"That was a dirty trick, Ben!" Rey followed and began splashing Ben. Hannah joined her until all three of them were splashing each other, laughing and chasing each other in the pool.

They didn't stop playing until the sun had completely gone down along with Ben's enthusiasm. Their frolic in the pool may have ended with a high note, but what happened or rather what didn't happen earlier hung over him like a dark cloud, and he trailed with heavy steps behind the girls as they went back inside the house.

It wasn't until he had showered and changed that Ben managed to pull himself back together. He should just forget about whatever it was that had passed between him and Rey. It was nothing. And even if it were something, he still shouldn't act on it. Their friendship was on the line here, as well as Hannah's happiness.

And so, he plastered a smile on his face and hurried down the stairs for dinner, determined to pretend, determined to forget.


	16. Chapter 16

Rey could barely look at Ben.

It wasn't that he was acting weird around her. In fact, he seemed animated, talking incessantly as they prepared dinner side by side, joking around with their daughter and praising her all over again for learning how to swim in a single afternoon. For all intents and purposes, he was acting like the Ben she had known for months.

He was acting as though nothing had happened in the pool earlier before Hannah had interrupted.

It must be just her then, she thought. She must have imagined it all-the way he held her, the way his heart beat against her palm over his chest, the soft way he gazed into her eyes and down at her lips, how he had tilted his head, lips parted with his heavy breaths as his face moved closer and closer to hers and…

She yelped, and stared at her hand. She had cut herself with the knife.

"Rey?" Ben dropped the ladle and hurried to her side. Rey moved the chopping board and vegetables away so she wouldn't bleed all over it, and Ben turned to their daughter and said, "Hannah, go get the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet."

Hannah didn't say the word, but Rey could hear the pitter patter of her bedroom slippers as she hurried out of the kitchen to do as her father had told her. Rey was still staring at her finger, a droplet of blood sliding down her digit in a bright red line. She almost wiped it on her shirt, but Ben took her hand in his and gently pulled it towards the tap to wash the blood down with water, all the while applying pressure to let the wound bleed out. His face was intense, focused on the task, and Rey felt a twinge of shame for allowing herself to be careless and distracted.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Ben looked at her with an encouraging smile. "No need to be sorry. These things happen."

Rey didn't say anything more, and just stared at Ben as he inspected her finger, still under the running tap water. Had his profile always looked this pleasing?

"I got the first aid kit!" Hannah declared from behind them, and Rey turned to see the girl holding the kit up high in the air. Ben turned off the tap and guided Rey to the kitchen island, where he cleaned the wound with antiseptic before sealing it with a band-aid.

"It's not a deep cut. You'll be fine," he assured as he held her hand in his, gently patting it. "There. That's better, isn't it?"

"Daddy, it's not better until you kiss it better." Hannah giggled from across the island counter, framing her face with her hands.

Rey's eyes met Ben's, but she quickly tore her gaze away just as he let go of her hand. Hannah was still grinning widely. She clearly enjoyed teasing them, and Rey's mind began to turn as she looked back at all those times that Hannah had made them take photos together, how she had made them sing together and given them time to talk to each other. Had Hannah been trying to set her up with Ben this whole time? Rey tried to push the thought aside, but it latched on to her and wouldn't let go.

"Daddy, kiss Rey's boo-boo away!" Hannah insisted, and Rey felt her cheeks heat up at the thought of Ben pressing his lips on her finger.

"That only works on little girls, Sweetheart," Ben said cooly. "Rey's a big girl. And big girls don't need kisses on their boo-boos to make it feel better. Big girls are brave that way."

"But I'm a big girl too!" Hannah said, a little indignant, and Ben chuckled before going back to the stove to finish cooking. Rey followed him back to her chopping board, and not long after, they finished making dinner, with Ben carrying the casserole of beef and vegetable stew to the dining room.

They said grace the way they usually did by holding each other's hands. Rey thought she could feel electricity where her hand rested in Ben's, but he didn't seem affected at all. Not like she was, with her trembling fingers and pounding heart. He was still his usual self, giving equal attention to her and Hannah in conversation. So maybe it was just her.

After dinner, they all gathered in the living room to watch a movie. Hannah picked out " _Matilda"_ , one of her favorite movies which Rey would later learn was introduced to her by her babysitter and Chewie's employee, Rose. Rey had seen it as a child. Ben too, in his teens. She loved the movie's themes about how family wasn't just about blood, that family could be found too.

Ben had turned out the lights for a better movie experience, although he had to light the fireplace to keep them warm. Overall, it made for a comfortable night on the couch. Maybe a little too comfortable, Rey thought, because Hannah fell asleep half-way through the movie.

"I'll take her upstairs," Ben whispered after he had paused the movie and carried Hannah in his arms, careful not to wake her.

Once he disappeared up the stairs, Rey stood up from the couch to sit on the floor in front of the fire, holding up her hands to the warm glow. She still wasn't used to Coruscant's weather. Maybe she should have taken a robe with her after she showered and changed earlier. Her t-shirt and pajama pants were doing little to keep her warm.

She heard Ben come back to the living room, although she didn't look up at him until she felt him put his robe over her shoulders.

"Thanks, Ben," she said as he sat down beside her. "What about you? Aren't you cold in that tank top?"

"Nah, I'm used to it," he said, stretching his long legs and propping himself up with his palms on the floor. The creases of his sweatpants made for some unusual shadows over his crotch, and Rey was suddenly reminded of his tight-fitting swimming trunks earlier.

She looked away and hoped the firelight would hide the color on her cheeks.

After a companionable silence, Ben said, "I'm sorry about Hannah and the whole kissing bit earlier. She loves to tease."

"Yeah, I know." Rey slipped her hands inside the robe and tightened it around herself.

"It's kinda stupid," Ben continued, "but she sort of has it in her mind that we could be...together. Like, together, together."

Rey turned and found Ben staring back at her with an unreadable expression, face half-bathed in orange light, half-bathed in shadow.

Butterflies in her belly began beating their wings frantically, and she let out a laugh. "That's funny, Ben."

"Yeah. Hilarious," he said with a slight smile before facing the fireplace.

Another moment of silence fell, though this time, Rey felt a bit more tense. So, she wasn't the only one who noticed Hannah's behavior. Ben noticed too.

"Why would she think that though?" Rey asked. "She knows we're just friends."

Ben sighed. "I don't know what goes on in that girl's head sometimes. I guess she's not that different from other kids who want their parents to be together. Then again, she's never teased me this way with the other women I've dated." There was a pregnant pause before he quickly added, "I'm not saying we're dating. I mean, the other women that have been in my life, dating or not dating."

"Yeah, I kinda got that." Rey nodded and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. For some strange reason, she found the thought of Ben with other women...uncomfortable.

"Rey, can I ask you something personal?" he said after a time. "It's okay if you don't answer though."

"Shoot," she encouraged. She didn't mind him prying, really. It wasn't like they hadn't gotten personal these last few months. In fact, they had gotten pretty up close and personal in the pool…

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?" Ben asked, shaking her from her thoughts. "I mean, I remember you saying you weren't looking to get into a relationship right now. But why?"

Okay, that was a little more personal than she expected, and she was silent for a moment before answering. "I just have a lot of baggage in my life right now. Responsibilities that require my full attention. A boyfriend won't be able to deal with that."

"Why do you think a boyfriend won't be able to deal with you having responsibilities?"

"Because that's why my ex-boyfriend broke up with me."

"Oh."

Silence fell in the living room once more, making the cackling of firewood seemingly louder.

It took a while for Rey to speak again. "His name was Tommy. We were seventeen when we met in college. I introduced him to my grandfather and everything. We fell in love fast and he even planned a future for us. But after Grandpa was diagnosed, he broke up with me because I couldn't give him the time and attention he needed."

Ben's reply was swift. "Well then, he's an idiot. Any man worth his salt can see what an incredible thing you were doing for your grandfather."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling at that. "Thank you, Ben."

"I'm just stating facts." Ben shrugged, then paused for a moment. "So you've never had a boyfriend since then?"

She shook her head. "No. I just didn't want to go through all that again. Maybe one day, I will, but not until I get my life together." She let out a breath before turning to him with a smile, her tone mischievous as she asked, "Enough about me. How about you? I remember Hannah saying you've never had a girlfriend."

He shrugged again "It's true."

"No way. Not even once?"

"No. I dated a lot in my younger years but was never serious until Hannah came along." He wiggled his toes in front of the fire, and Rey found herself fascinated with how big his feet were. "After she was born, I tried to get into more serious relationships so she wouldn't grow up motherless, but it never worked out for me. Which is why I'm glad you came along, Rey. Now Hannah has the mother she's always dreamed of."

He looked at her then, and there was softness in his eyes she had only seen a few times-when he had listened to her the first time she told him about her parents; when he had sung with her in that restaurant; after he had hugged her when she thanked him for her truck; and only recently, when he had held her in his arms in the pool.

She turned away, her mind scrambling for what else to say until she settled on a subject. "You never told me much about your mother. Or your father for that matter, except about that last argument you had with him."

She dared a glance at him, and watched him chew on the inside of his cheek, his eyes fixated on the fireplace.

"I don't have much to say, really." He sighed. "I was a latchkey kid. They were both working all the time. Mother was a lawyer and as you know, Father was running our shipping company."

"You call your parents 'Mother' and 'Father'?" Rey asked. "That's...pretty formal."

"That's 'coz I grew up being taught I had to be." Ben's laughter was dry. "You don't know how many charity functions and galas I'd had to go to growing up and being forced to mingle with people who have sticks up their asses."

"And yet here you are, pretty crass with your words." Rey playfully shoved him on the shoulder, and he flashed a toothy smile at her.

"Learned it all from Uncle Chewie. My mother was appalled to say the least when I first said 'fuck', but eventually I'd had to reign myself in around her. Father may be best buds with Uncle Chewie, but he didn't like seeing my mother upset."

"He must've loved your mother very much," Rey commented.

"He did," Ben agreed, though Rey could detect a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Sometimes, I think that maybe they loved each other so much that they didn't have any love left for me."

Hearing his words was like taking a knife to the heart. "Oh, Ben. I'm sure that's not true."

"Maybe." He lowered his gaze, mouth set in a grim line. "Hard to believe that though when they weren't very affectionate with me, which was the complete opposite with Hannah. They doted on her the way they never did me. It's difficult not to be bitter about it. But I try to think of it this way: that having Hannah was the one thing I did that didn't disappoint my parents."

Rey wasn't sure what to say to that, so she scooted closer, and after a moment's hesitation, put her hand over Ben's.

He trembled underneath her touch, but it got him talking again. "I suppose having Hannah was a selfish decision, not just of me, but of the entire family. Father wanted a grandchild so badly before he died and pressured me into it, so Mother did too. I allowed myself to get talked into having Hannah because I wanted their approval so bad. As it turned out though, Hannah was a blessing. After she was born, my parents and I bonded over child-rearing, especially me and my mother. That, and Hannah's presence actually kept Father alive up until last year."

Rey smiled. "I guess we both had Hannah in order to extend the lives of the people we loved."

"Yeah, but you did it for selfless reasons though," Ben pointed out, his gaze on her as warm as the fire before them. "It still amazes me, the lengths you went through and the sacrifices you made for your grandfather. You're an incredible woman, Rey."

Rey looked down shyly, her hand over Ben's tightening involuntarily. She yelped when she pressed her wounded finger too hard against his knuckle, and he quickly held her hand in his, leaning over to inspect the band-aid, his shoulder touching hers.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yeah. I think I pressed it too hard and-"

Ben kissed her finger, and she froze. It was a quick peck, but it sent shivers up her arm and down her spine, and she looked at him with wide eyes, watching his own panic flit through his features.

"S-sorry," he stammered and let go. "Force of habit."

"It's fine," she mumbled, placing her hands on her lap and staring at her splayed fingers. It was nothing. He hadn't meant to. And yet she couldn't look at him. She tried opening her mouth to speak but words failed her. What was she even supposed to say after that?

"I think we should call it a night," Ben said, much to her relief, and he stood up from the floor, turned off the TV before holding his hand out to help her up. She took his hand, wobbling a little on her feet but he quickly grabbed her by the elbows to steady her. "Whoa. You alright, Rey?"

"Y-Yeah. Just lost a bit of feeling in my legs." She looked up at him and found him staring at her with that look in his eyes again. His hands were still on her elbows, her own hands clenching at her sides when she saw his pupils dilate, his nostrils flaring, and his gaze moving to her mouth. Her own gaze moved to his lips, in much the same way they had earlier in the pool; those plump, soft-looking lips that at first glance, didn't look like it belonged with the rest of his masculine features, and yet they fit perfectly on his face.

His throat bobbed as he cleared his throat, and he let go of her. "Let's go to bed."

Rey swallowed and nodded, watching him put out the fire before walking beside him in relative darkness until they reached their respective bedrooms. She opened the door to the guest room and saw the bed empty. Ben must've put Hannah in her own room, she thought.

She turned around and saw Ben still standing by the open door to his room, eyes fixed on her, his hand tight around the door knob. She suddenly remembered she was still wearing his robe, and she took it off before stepping forward to hand it to him.

He quietly moved closer to take it from her, their hands brushing beneath the fabric, lingering for a moment that seemed too long in her mind. She continued to stare back at him, her shoulders stiff and her arms pressed tight to her sides as she waited. Waited for what, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that her chest was starting to hurt from all the hammering her heart was doing against her rib cage.

Then, Ben took a step back. "Good night, Rey."

"G-Good night," she stuttered, and watched him enter his room and close the door. She turned and hastily entered the guest room, closing the door behind her. She leaned her back against it, a hand over her heart as she willed it to slow.

She would be sleeping without Hannah by her side tonight, but for once, she was glad. She didn't want to wake her daughter up with all the tossing and turning she was bound to do the entire night.

* * *

Nothing had happened.

Not in the pool, not in the living room, not in the hallway.

Nothing.

Ben thought he should be glad of it; be proud that he had managed to get a hold of himself, yet here he was, lying down on his large bed, a hand moving feverishly up and down his stiff cock as images of Rey's face swam through his mind.

He'd wanted to kiss her. Fuck, he'd wanted to kiss her so bad. In the pool. Under the warm glow of the fire that made her eyes shimmer. In the hallway as they said their good nights. He'd wanted to pull her into his arms, devour her lips, suck the breath out of her until she was weak-kneed and leaning against him.

He gritted his teeth when he stroked himself in a particularly pleasurable way, Rey's pink lips behind his closed eyes. The same lips he couldn't seem to stop staring at. The same lips he wanted pressed against his own lips...gliding over his skin...stretching around his cock…

Fuck!

His back arched, hips slowly thrusting into his curled hand, one arm over his eyes, blocking out what little luminance his bedside lamp provided in his darkened room. He wanted her. By God, he wanted her, even though he knew he shouldn't. Loved her even though he knew he shouldn't. Loved her so much, his whole body physically ached for her, to be as close to her as humanly possible. To be buried and enveloped in her until he lost himself inside her.

Over and over he kept telling himself he shouldn't think about her that way, that he should think about her as nothing more than a friend but she wasn't making it easy. Not with the way she looked back at him, eyelashes fluttering and lips parting. Not with the way she had lingered in the hallway, looking expectantly at him, and he'd wanted nothing more than to sweep her in his arms and carry her to his room. Lay her down on his bed, peel off the layers of their clothing until there was nothing but skin on skin. He wanted to kiss her lips, to suckle her breasts and swirl his tongue around the nipples he had seen protruding through the white of her bathing suit. He wanted to slide his hand down the curve of her ass and pull her hips flush against his while he buried himself in her heat. Over and over.

He loved her. Loved how she listened to him, how she understood him like no one ever had, how she made him feel safe enough to open himself up to her. He loved how she made him feel whole, and he wanted to show her just how much he loved her. He would worship every inch of her, make her body come alive under his touches, make her come undone with his name on her lips.

He quickened his strokes, moans and grunts escaping his lips as a well of emotion built up inside of him. Oh, to have her call to him breathlessly. To hold him close to her as though he was the person dearest to her. To hear her whisper that she loved him back, and it was that last thought that finally made him fall over the crest, and he moved his hand from his eyes to his mouth so he could bite down and keep himself from crying out Rey's name as thick ropes of cum splattered all over his stomach.

His chest rose and fell as he squeezed every last drop before he let go, his body aglow from his release until the euphoria ebbed away, and he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling.

Oh my God, what had he done? He had turned Rey into a mastubatory fantasy! Rey, who'd been nothing but loving and nurturing to their daughter. Rey, who'd been nothing but the sweetest, kindest, closest friend he had ever had in his entire life.

Rey, who would not want anything to do with him except in friendship.

He grabbed his discarded tank top and began wiping the evidence of his sexual act. Anger bubbled up inside of him; not towards Rey, but towards himself. How many times had he told himself that he could never be with her? That she only thought of him as a friend? Too many times to count, and yet his heart, body and mind yearned for her, and there seemed to be nothing he could do to stop it.

* * *

As she had expected, Rey did _not_ have a good night's sleep. Her body had been tired but her mind ran a hundred miles a minute. She couldn't seem to stop replaying all the scenarios in her head-of Ben gazing at her the way he did. In the pool. By the fireplace. In the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Everything about those moments, from his dark, intense eyes, his deep, shaky breaths, to the long, lingering gazes at her lips all told her one thing.

Ben had wanted to kiss her.

Looking back, she had, in a way, tried to test that theory by waiting for him to make a move in the hallway. But he hadn't. And she didn't know what to make of her feelings because of it. She was relieved of course. They both knew perfectly well that anything more than friendship between them would only lead to unnecessary complications, yet at the same time, she found it almost impossible to ignore her disappointment. She chalked it up to vanity, to her insecurities that maybe Ben just didn't find her attractive. Then again, why should she even worry if he was attracted to her or not? That shouldn't be an issue at all since they were just friends.

She sighed. She didn't know anymore. This was all too confusing. The simple solution really, was to forget those moments even happened. It wasn't like she was certain he had wanted to kiss her. He could have if he had wanted to, especially since she had left herself vulnerable in the hallway, but he hadn't. So maybe he hadn't wanted to kiss her after all. Maybe it was just all in her head.

The conclusion satisfied her, and it was further driven home by the fact that Ben wasn't acting any differently from yesterday. Or maybe he was just trying to act normal. She wasn't sure. She would just have to try not to think about it too much and just go about spending as much time with Ben and Hannah. It was, after all, her last day in Coruscant, at least until the next weekend.

Time, however, flew by far too quickly for Rey's liking. She supposed that was the only downside to having so much fun. They had all had breakfast together, gone for a morning swim and followed it with a hearty lunch. Hannah was as chipper as can be, and rather than being sad about her mother leaving that afternoon, she focused more on her excitement for the next visit.

"We'll go to the park. This time, for sure," the girl said with a determined glint in her eyes. "We'll ride bikes, and race, and eat candied apples and ice cream and hot dogs until we get sick!"

"That sounds great." Rey giggled as she put the last of her things in her duffel bag. She slung the strap of the bag over her shoulder and turned to Ben, who was leaning against the door frame of the guest room, watching her pack. "What do you think, Ben? The park sound great to you?"

"Uhm, yeah, sure." His smile was small. "Anywhere is great as long as it's with you two."

Rey beamed. Ben really knew what to say to make her feel better. And she needed to hear that now more than ever especially since she was starting to feel some separation anxiety again.

"Let's take more photos," Hannah said, holding up her phone.

"Sweetheart, you've already taken a million photos of us," Ben complained, but nonetheless, took Hannah's phone so he could take a selfie with all three of them. "There. Happy?"

"Not yet. I want to take more photos of just the two of you." She grabbed the phone from her father's hand and climbed up the bed, pointing the phone's camera to where Rey and Ben stood by the door. "Rey, can you put down your bag for a second?"

Rey did as she was told, and stood beside Ben, leaning a little to his shoulder while Hannah took the photo.

The girl frowned. "You two look too stiff. Like you're not even friends. Daddy, can you put your arm over Rey's shoulder? And Rey, can you put your arm around Daddy's waist?"

Rey's eyes shot up to meet Ben's, and she saw him roll his eyes. They both knew now this was one of Hannah's little ploys to get them together.

Ben leaned down, his breath tickling her ear as he whispered, "Let's just go with it since it makes her happy."

Rey found herself not really opposing the idea. She nodded and settled herself against Ben as he put his arm over her shoulder while she snaked hers around his waist. Hannah's face was practically radiant, and she was all smiles by the time she finished taking photos. Rey's smile, however, faded as she extricated herself from Ben and slowly walked with them out of the house.

It was time for her to leave. Time to go back to reality. Back to her routine in Jakku. Back to her job.

Back to Plutt.

She stopped in her tracks by the garage entrance. Plutt. She had completely forgotten about him. She had been too wrapped up in the safe haven with Ben and Hannah that she had momentarily forgotten what had happened days ago.

Ben was quick to notice her sudden change in demeanour, and he looked back at her with worry etched on his face. "Rey? Are you alright?"

She looked at him then, unsure whether she should tell him what had happened. If Ben knew that the restored truck was what led to Plutt leering at her and touching her, he'd blame himself. Heck, if Ben knew Plutt had _touched_ her…

"Rey?"

"I'm fine, Ben." She tried to smile. "I guess I just don't want to go back home yet."

"I don't want you to go back either," Hannah said, walking over to hug her and press her head against her stomach. "I wish you could stay here forever, Rey. That someday, this would be your home."

Rey's first thought was to make the girl understand that she couldn't, that Jakku was her home but for some reason, that last part was beginning to feel like a lie. They say ' _home is where the heart is'_ and once upon a time, Jakku was where her heart was at. With her Grandpa Ben, and his warm smiles, big hugs and gentle nature. Now all that was left was a rickety old house in a small plot of dusty land. It was a shell, empty except for her and memories of her grandfather. But she couldn't leave. She was desperate to cling on to the last vestiges of Ben Kenobi, the same way she had for the past nine years. She never imagined even considering leaving, but now she was starting to falter.

She shook her head and wordlessly held her daughter, running her fingers through the girl's dark, wavy hair. No. This was her life. She had resigned herself to it. Accepted it. She couldn't, wouldn't waver now, not even for the happiness she felt with Hannah and Ben. She had spent almost all her life trying to pay back her grandfather for taking her away from the horrid life with her parents, for saving her from a future of ending up like them. She couldn't stop now, not even after her grandfather's death. There were still debts to pay, a house to fully take back and memories of him to preserve.

She thought of all those things all at once yet none of the words made it to her lips as she leaned down to kiss the top of Hannah's head. There was going to be a hole in her heart with Hannah's name on it until she got back to Coruscant, and she had to tell herself that she didn't have long to wait.

She turned to Ben and without hesitation, put her arms around him in a tight hug, tucking her head beneath his chin as he enveloped her in his embrace, and she took in the scent of his cologne. He smelled of cedarwood and pine, with a hint of aftershave.

Heart pounding, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, and he did the same, though she thought he lingered for a moment too long. Or maybe she did. She was unsure.

Pulling away, she got inside her truck and started the engine, the noise filling the garage. She gripped the steering wheel but didn't drive off. Not yet.

She glanced out the window, watching as Ben picked Hannah up in his arms so she could have a better look of her mother. The girl waved at her, her little hand listless as she did, and Rey felt her heart break.

Then, an idea.

She stuck her head out the window and said, "How would you guys like to come to Jakku next weekend for a change? We could go dune sledding in the desert and go camping under the stars like what me and Grandpa used to do."

Hannah and Ben looked at each other, and Rey's heart soared when she saw smiles dancing on their lips.

"We'd love to go," Ben said with enthusiasm.

"Awesome! I can't wait." Rey beamed, already brimming with excitement at the prospect of having Hannah and Ben stay with her again. Her house in Jakku may be a shell, but if she could bring her heart-which was with Hannah and Ben-into that shell, then maybe it would once again become a home, even for a little while.


	17. Chapter 17

Rey wiped the sweat off her brow and licked her dry lips as she moved the joysticks to operate the heavy duty crane she was in. It had been days since she left Coruscant, and already she was missing the cooler climate there. More than that, she missed Hannah and Ben, even though they still had their nightly talks over the computer. The days without them were mundane and repetitive, and it made her look forward to their visit over the weekend even more.

She moved the controls about and watched the world around her slowly move, the crane's claw already full of the scraps she was ordered to move by the yard supervisor. Normally, she wouldn't be operating heavy equipment but Plutt had recently fired another operator (again) and so she had to be the one to take up the task, being one of the few in the junkyard who knew how. Not that she minded. She liked being inside the crane; liked the solitude in it and the inexplicable sense of power it gave her. It was probably one of the few moments in her life wherein she felt like she had some semblance of control.

Her walkie talkie cackled over the din of the machine, and the voice of her supervisor rang inside the crane's cabin.

"Kenobi, Plutt wants you in his office. Over."

Rey knitted her brows and grabbed the walkie talkie to talk into it. "Did he say why? Over."

"Negative. But you better head to his office pronto. Over."

"Roger." Rey clipped the walkie talkie to her belt again and stopped the equipment before climbing down from the cabin. She jogged across the junkyard, boots kicking up dirt as she made her way past other junkyard workers, most of whom were unfamiliar faces. Plutt had such a high employee turnover rate that she hadn't bothered to get to know her fellow co-workers, knowing she probably wouldn't see them past the year, sometimes past the month. She was one of the few who had stayed, though in her case, it was because she had no choice.

She walked up the long metal stairs and stopped in front of Plutt's office, taking off her hard hat and brushing away the strands of her hair that had been pasted to her cheeks from sweat. She wasn't sure why Plutt would call her to his office when she had already given him his morning coffee a few hours ago-one of the few tasks which was not in her job description, but something she had been doing for him ever since she started this job nine years ago.

She straightened her jumpsuit and knocked. Maybe Plutt wanted to talk about the raise he had promised her, she thought. Maybe he was even going to give her a promotion along with the raise. After all, she had been working for him for almost a decade; then again, it was probably foolish to hope. Plutt had such an archaic, if not misogynistic way of thinking, and she knew giving a woman any sort of power would never be something he would do.

"Come in," came the voice Rey knew to be that of Erin, Plutt's secretary. With a deep breath, she let herself in, the cool air of the AC a much welcome reprieve after being in the sweltering heat for so long.

Her eyes instantly zeroed in on her boss, whose bulbous form was hunched over a laptop, his desk covered in stacks of paper, haphazardly piled folders, manuals and books. It was a stark contrast to his otherwise organized office, which was no doubt Erin's doing.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Rey asked.

Plutt stopped what he was doing, his grim face evolving into a smile that sent unpleasant shivers down her spine. "Rey, my dear girl. Please, have a seat."

She had to hide a shudder from the pet name, and she silently crossed the small office to sit on the seat in front of Plutt's desk.

Plutt swiveled his chair to turn to the other desk in the room, where his secretary busily typed away on an old computer. "Erin, could you excuse me and Rey for a minute? I need to speak with her in private."

Plutt had spoken in a chipper voice, but it sent alarm bells ringing inside Rey's head, and she turned to Erin, who seemed to be looking at her with concern on her pale, wrinkled face. She was much older than any of Plutt's employees. Certainly older than any of the secretaries Plutt had in the past, but she was efficient, and so Plutt kept her, though Rey had a nagging suspicion it was also because Erin wasn't someone he was interested in. All the other secretaries before her had left after swirling rumours of sexual harassment.

Erin stood up from her desk and quietly exited the office, the clicking of the door's latch seeming like a gunshot to Rey. Almost shaking, she turned back to her boss, hands tightening on the hard hat she had placed over her lap when she saw he was still smiling at her. She swallowed. She had never been alone with him in his office before.

Plutt pushed his laptop to the side and clasped his hands over the desk. "So, Rey...where were you last weekend? I went to your house, but you weren't there."

Rey felt the breath sucked out of her, and she stilled. "Why were you at my house?"

"I just wanted to check up on you, that's all." Plutt stood from his chair, grunting as he did so, the buttons on his shirt nearly popping from his girth. The AC still spewed cool air in the office, but she felt sweat bead on her forehead again when he stood behind her chair. She could almost feel the heat emanating from his large body, and when she felt his hands on her shoulders, she froze, just as she had when he first touched her in the parking lot last week. "I was worried about you, Rey. I got even more worried when I saw you weren't home."

Rey swallowed again and started to speak, only to choke on her words when she felt him begin to gently knead her shoulders. Then, she sensed him lean down to the side of her head, big nostrils inhaling, lips close to her ear as he asked, "So, where did you go last weekend, sweetheart?"

Her eyes widened at the endearment. That was what Ben called Hannah, and Plutt made it sound so lewd, she wanted to puke.

Quickly shrugging off his hands from her shoulders, she turned in her seat to glare at him. "With all due respect sir, I don't think where I go on weekends is any of your business."

Plutt drew back to his full height, his expression darkening. "Since when did you learn to talk back to your superiors? Need I remind you that I'm the one who pays you, who puts food on your table, who gives you a roof over your head?"

Rey squared her shoulders, and with teeth bared, said, "Except for the fact that you pay me, everything else you said is a lie. I earn my keep. My food is my own and so is the house."

"So's the house, huh?" Plutt mimicked, narrowed eyes locked with hers as he walked behind his desk, opened the drawer and took out a small key, dangling it in front of Rey. "Do you know what this is?"

Rey's throat seemed to have closed up, and she found it difficult to breathe. She knew what that key was for, and the courage she had mustered earlier morphed into dread.

"It's the key to your grandpa's safety deposit box," Plutt reminded when Rey didn't speak. "It's where Ben Kenobi kept the deed to your house and your land. He put this up as collateral for me to agree to be your loan guarantor. And until you pay back your loan, you're essentially living on my property. I could cash in right now."

Rey held her head high and managed to speak in a steady voice, even as she felt herself waver inside. "You and I both know you can't do that unless I default on my monthly bank payments. And I've never faltered. Not even once. I even give extra so I can pay it back faster."

"True, you haven't defaulted. But I can make it harder for you to pay." Plutt shrugged and put the key back in his drawer. "I take back my offer to give you a raise. Erin hasn't processed the paperwork for it anyway. And Rey, you're demoted and your pay and hours will be decreased."

Rey felt the blood drain away from her face. "Demoted? For what?"

"Insubordination. It's in the employee handbook. Read it."

"Plutt, this is harassment and you know it," she managed in an even tone. "I can file a complaint against you."

Plutt cocked a bushy eyebrow. "Really? Do you even have money for a lawyer? Or are you going to run off to your rich boyfriend and mooch off him?"

Rey felt her temper spike again. He was hitting a raw nerve. "I've never mooched off anyone. I'm not like that."

"I know you're not," Plutt said, his tone switching from mocking to gentle. "You're a good girl that way, Rey. You can stand on your own feet. You don't need a man to save you."

Rey felt her head spin. One minute he was harassing her, the next minute he was acting all fatherly.

She wasn't even able to recover from the whiplash when he said, "Nonetheless, you are still demoted. You're back to sorting scraps and scrubbing car parts. Now, put a smile on that pretty face and get back to work." He dragged his laptop back in front of him and began typing. A clear dismissal.

Without another word, Rey got up from her seat and marched out of the office, slamming the door on her way out. A sob escaped from her throat, and she could feel the pinpricks of tears at the corners of her eyes. She was never getting out of here, she thought bitterly. She was only deluding herself if she thought she had control over her life, when in reality, she was basically an indentured slave Plutt could just toss around on a whim. All this because her grandfather was trusting and desperate enough to turn to this particular acquaintance for help.

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. No. She wasn't going to blame Grandpa Ben for this. He would never have chosen this for her had he known. And she had been the one to jump at Plutt's job offer all those years ago; not him. This was all on her.

Taking in a deep, shaky breath, she put on her hard hat and made her way down the stairs, already thinking of other ways to earn money to keep herself afloat. And she will find a way. If there was one thing she and Plutt agreed on, it was that she could stand on her own feet. She didn't need a man to save her. It may take her a while longer, but one day, she would pay off her grandfather's loans and take back the deed to their house and land. One day, she would be free from Plutt's clutches. And while she worked and waited for that day to come, she would focus on the things that kept her going-like Hannah and Ben, and their upcoming visit to Jakku over the weekend. It was this thought that comforted her throughout the day, and it would be what would sustain her in the difficult days to come.

* * *

Rey checked the house one more time, making sure everything was ready for Ben and Hannah's arrival that Friday afternoon. If there was one good thing that came out of her demotion and lessened hours, it was that she could dedicate more time to her personal life. She had even been able to call Hannah when she got home from school at four, with Rose babysitting her until Ben came home at around six. Today though, Ben took half the day off of work so they could arrive early and spend more time with her. She really appreciated that, especially now when she could use the distraction.

After making sure her grandfather's old room was ready for her guests, she walked out to the porch and waited, eyes trained towards the distance. There wasn't a road to speak of; just dirt paths that meandered through far between houses of neighbors she rarely got to see. Cacti and brushes of russian thistle peppered the tan landscape, and the dry breeze carried with it the occasional tumbleweed.

Her text message notification dinged, and she checked to read Hannah's message.

" _Daddy says we're really close. He's driving so he can't text. Can't wait to see you!"_

Rey smiled and started to text her reply, when she spotted a car in the distance. She walked away from the house, squinting until she could make out the familiar Mustang heading towards her.

She waved excitedly, stopping only to direct Ben to park next to her Chevy pickup truck. Once parked, Hannah was quick to disembark and jump into Rey's arms. Ben emerged not long after, smiling as he slung a large travel bag over his shoulder and walked towards her. Still carrying her daughter, Rey moved her head so she and Ben could kiss each other's cheeks, making Hannah giggle. It felt natural now to do that, and whatever awkwardness she had felt last weekend from what transpired or did not transpire between them was gone, replaced by the excitement of just being together again.

Rey eyed him up and down. "Wow, Ben, you look great! I don't think I've ever seen you in a t-shirt before."

"Well, gotta dress for the weather." Ben adjusted his glasses and looked her up and down as well. "You don't look so bad yourself."

Rey ducked her head shyly. She was only in an old shirt and a pair of shorts but she would take the compliment. "Did you bring a tent like I told you to?"

"Yup. It's in the trunk along with my other camping gear and supplies. I would've bought sandboards for our dune sledding tomorrow, but they don't sell them in Coruscant."

"No worries. We can buy some in the center of town tomorrow before we go out in the desert." Rey balanced Hannah on her hip. The girl was not light at all, but she seemed to enjoy being carried, and Rey would take every chance she got to do so. After all, it may not be long before her daughter wouldn't want to be carried around anymore.

The afternoon quickly made way to evening. Despite not being in Coruscant, everything still fell into place, with Hannah and Ben helping her cook in her small kitchen, saying grace before they ate, and with them washing dishes together. Conversation flowed just as freely, and even though they didn't have a lot of the modern conveniences of the Solo household, Rey was glad that Hannah and Ben seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves around her.

The rest of the evening was spent with Rey telling Hannah more stories about Ben Kenobi. Hannah had wanted to know more about her great-grandfather, and Rey told her as much as she could, how he was a beloved faculty member in the state university, his kindness and courage in the face of illness, all while sparing the girl from darker details, like how her parents had driven the family into poverty. But the more Rey talked about her grandfather, the more she recalled the hold Plutt had on her, and she had to struggle to bring herself back to the present.

It was late by the time they decided to sleep. Rey helped Hannah prepare, making sure the girl brushed her teeth properly and changed into her jammies before ushering her to bed. Just like their first sleepover all those months ago, Hannah decided to sleep in Rey's bed, and fell asleep almost immediately after she crawled under the covers. Poor thing must've been tired from the journey, Rey thought.

Kissing her daughter's forehead, Rey changed into a tank top and a pair of pajama pants before heading off to say good night to Ben. The door to her grandfather's old room where he would be sleeping was ajar, and she found it empty except for a still unopened travel bag atop the bed.

Brows furrowing, she did a quick sweep of the house, and after not finding him anywhere, decided to go outside.

She found him standing on the dimly lit porch, staring up at the night sky. He still hadn't changed his clothes, and she walked up to him to stand by his side and look up at the stars twinkling above them.

"The stars look really beautiful out here," Ben commented without looking at her. "Brighter than I've ever seen them in all my life."

"That's because unlike in large cities, there isn't much light pollution here," Rey explained.

"Yeah, I can see that. Beautiful." Ben paused for a moment before turning to her and adding softly, "But not as beautiful as you."

Rey almost choked. "W-What?"

To her surprise and chagrin, Ben laughed. "Ha! Got you flustered. I win again!"

"Win? What are you talking about?"

"Our complimenting game. You gotta be on your toes if you want to win, Rey."

Rey felt her cheeks heat up, and she threw a not-so-gentle punch on Ben's shoulder. "I didn't even know we were playing, you jerk!"

"That's not a compliment. I win again!"

She had to roll her eyes. "Honestly. You act like such a kid sometimes."

Ben tapped a finger to his chin, as though he were thinking. "You know, that can be taken as both a compliment and an insult, but I'll take it as a compliment so you don't have to suffer through a losing streak."

Rey let out a puff of breath but didn't say anything more, the corners of her lips dipping down into a frown. Ben chuckled and gently nudged her shoulder. " Come on, Rey. I'm just teasing. I was trying to get you to smile. You've been off ever since you started talking about your grandfather."

Rey blinked and stared back at him. "But I've been smiling all night."

"Yeah, but the smile doesn't reach your eyes," he pointed out, this time facing her fully, hands on his hips as he put his weight on one foot. "You may have fooled Hannah, but you can't fool me. So...do you want to talk about what's troubling you?"

Rey trembled as memories of Plutt's touches and harassment assailed her. She started to speak, to tell Ben about what her boss did to her, but she shook her head. She couldn't rope him into this. This was her burden to carry and hers alone.

She decided to go with a half-truth. "I guess I'm just missing my grandfather. That's all."

"I see." Ben lowered his gaze. "If it's any consolation, Hannah and I will be with you all weekend. You won't be alone."

"Thank you, Ben." Rey smiled at him before turning to the stars once more. She and her grandfather used to stargaze on clear nights like this too. "After Grandpa died, this house just didn't feel the same, you know? It felt empty. But having you and Hannah here...it feels like home again."

"I'm...I'm glad." Ben's voice had a hint of shyness to it, but Rey couldn't quite make out his expression with his face turned away and under the shadows. "You make my house feel like a home too when you're around."

"Your house _is_ a home Ben. With or without me," Rey said. "You have Hannah. You have family with you."

"Yes, but...it's been so much better ever since you came into our lives." He looked at her then, and even with the poor light, she could tell his eyes were intense. "When I first came here to fetch Hannah after she had run away to you, I could never have imagined how much you would mean to her. How much you would mean to me."

Rey felt her heart pounding in much the same way it had last week, when she thought he was about to kiss her. Something inside her told her there were some unspoken words there, but she brushed it off. She really shouldn't put meaning into the things he said. He was just being a good friend.

"You guys have come to mean a lot to me too." She flashed him a smile before she gazed up to the sky again. "So really, Ben. I can't thank you enough for letting me into your lives. It would never have happened if you hadn't allowed it."

"Well...I guess we have to thank Hannah too. If she hadn't run away to you, we would never have met." He paused. "Then, there's my mother to thank. She was the one who got your info from the egg donor clinic and passed it on to Hannah."

"You know, I'm still a bit upset about that," Rey said with a wry smile. "That was an invasion of my privacy."

Ben must have not sensed the humor in her tone, because he instantly grew defensive. "Yes, but Mother only did it to make Hannah happy. She desperately wanted to meet you and-"

"Ben, I'm kidding." She giggled and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "You have no idea how thankful I am that your mother did what she did. If you think about it, she's the real reason why we all met."

"Yeah, I guess so."

They lapsed into silence once more, eyes trained on the twinkling skies. This was nice, she thought, just sharing a quiet moment with someone, especially one who was as dear to her as Ben. She felt at ease. At peace for once, and she felt as though nothing could ever hurt her.

After a time, Ben said, "My neck is starting to hurt."

"That's because standing up isn't ideal for stargazing," Rey said with a giggle. "It's best when you lay down on a blanket."

"Right." He lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck before turning to her again. "Would you like to?"

"You mean like, lay on a blanket? Right now?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

Rey wasn't so sure about the invitation. Laying down on a blanket with Ben to watch the stars...it felt too romantic, too intimate for friends. If she were to be honest with herself however, she wasn't entirely averse to the idea...which was why she couldn't agree to it. That way could only lead to further complications in their relationship.

"I don't know, Ben. I was hoping to do it when we go camping tomorrow night," she excused. "The Milky Way is actually more visible in the desert and I know Hannah wouldn't want to miss that."

"Okay." Ben nodded. Rey thought she could hear disappointment in his voice, but he was smiling when he looked at her. "It's getting late anyway. We should probably turn in for the night."

* * *

The desert climate was starting to cool by the time they drove in Rey's truck to the dunes that Saturday afternoon. Ben's Mustang wasn't exactly built for the desert, so they had to leave it behind and put all their camping and sledding gear in the back of the truck. Hannah was especially excited to go dune sledding, citing how she went snow sledding every winter in a ski resort at Hoth City.

"I've never gone snow sledding, but I imagine the mechanics are the same," Rey said, driving the truck through the dirt path which led to the campsite she and her grandfather had used countless times. Ben was in the passenger's seat while Hannah sat between them. "Of course, the type of sleds used are different, so there may be a bit of a learning curve. Shouldn't be too hard though."

"You think the sand will still be scorching hot at this time?" Ben asked.

"Not as hot as noon time, that's for sure." Rey answered. "But it will still be hot, which is why I told you guys to cover up." She eyed her companions, who, like her, were wearing long sleeved shirts, long pants as well as socks in their hiking boots. "I know all these layers are not ideal, but it's better than getting hot sand in places you wouldn't want it to be. Besides, it's going to be cold come nightfall."

One turn, and Rey parked at a small clearing near a moderately high sand dune. This was her and her grandfather's favorite spot: not too far from a dune that wasn't too steep for beginners, and not too far from a flowing creek in case they needed to wash up.

Ben got out and helped Hannah off of the truck. Rey hopped off as well, and proceeded to get their gear from the back, with Ben hurrying to help her. Soon, they had their camping gear laid out on the ground, but they wouldn't be pitching the tents until later. For now, they needed to make use of the time they had left before sundown to go dune sledding.

Taking the sandboards with them, Rey had Ben and Hannah practice a few feet from the flat ground, teaching them how to sit and balance themselves on the sled and making sure they knew how to properly hold the side grips. With every slide down the dune, they would climb up higher, though when they were high enough, Ben insisted on having Hannah ride with him for safety.

It took three passes before Ben was confident enough to let Hannah go on her own. The girl was a natural at this, Rey thought, and pretty soon, she went from just standing on the sidelines and teaching them, to joining in on the fun. They even tried going down on one sled together, with Hannah in front and Ben at the back.

Rey laughed with every slide down the dune, remembering all the times she had slid down these very slopes while her grandfather looked on. Grandpa Ben had been just as protective of her as Ben was with Hannah the first few times, until he had eventually allowed her to slide down on higher and higher dunes on her own. Trekking up was her least favorite part, but the journey downwards always made it worth it.

They stopped sledding by sundown, and Ben set up the tents with Hannah while Rey made a campfire. She would be sleeping in her old, smaller tent while Ben and Hannah would be inside their larger tent.

The sky's orange hues soon disappeared into the blue-black of night, and they all gathered in folding chairs around the fire to have their packed dinners, all the while talking about how much fun they had earlier. Later, they would cook smores over the fire-something Hannah was particularly excited about especially when Rey put the browned marshmallow between Graham crackers and squeezing chocolate syrup in the middle.

The stars burned bright in the night sky. There was no moon, so they could see the cluster of stars-the Milky Way-in all its splendor. Ben suggested they all lay down before their necks stiffened from constantly looking up, and he and Rey got the large blanket they had prepared just for the occasion, spreading it on one side of camp before all three of them lay down, Hannah in between them.

Ben started telling Hannah about the constellations, and Rey felt a twinge in her heart as she remembered her grandfather doing the same when she was a little girl. She shared her own knowledge of constellations with their daughter, though Hannah preferred finding other shapes that could be formed by the stars, as though she were cloud-watching instead of stargazing.

"My teacher said the sun is the closest star to our planet," Hannah said.

"That's right." Rey nodded.

"So those stars might have planets of their own," Hannah continued.

"Some of them might, yes." Rey turned to her daughter, who still had her gaze trained on the skies, the stars sparkling in her hazel eyes.

"You think there are people on those planets?" the girl asked.

This time, it was Ben who answered. "Maybe. The universe is so big and vast, it would be a waste of space if it's just us."

That made Rey turn towards him. "Huh. I never thought of it that way."

Ben simply shrugged in response, and they all fell quiet as they continued to gaze up to the sparkling heavens.

"I'm glad we all live on the same planet," Hannah said after a time. "Even though we live in different cities, at least we won't have to travel in a spaceship to see each other."

Ben chuckled. "Who knows, maybe one day, we won't need to travel at all."

Rey looked at Ben again, and found him staring back at her. She wasn't sure, but it sounded like he wanted them to live together or something. Or maybe she was just overthinking again.

"We already don't. That's what the internet is for," she reminded, and the smile on Ben's face wilted a little before he turned to the skies again.

Not long after, she heard little snores from beside her, and found Hannah had fallen asleep. Ben saw too, and sat up so he could gather their daughter in his arms.

"I'll get her to her sleeping bag," he said before leaving for their tent. Rey remained on the blanket, still staring up until Ben returned. She expected him to tell her they should call it a night, but he surprised her when he lay down beside her, a little closer this time now that Hannah was gone, his hands behind his head.

"You know…" he began, "Uncle Chewie's still badgering me about getting you to work for him."

Ah, Rey thought. So Ben did have it in his mind for them to at least be in the same city together. "I wish I could, but I can't."

"Why not?"

She didn't answer.

From her peripheral vision, she saw Ben shift so he was lying sideways to look at her. "Rey, did something happen?"

She chewed on her bottom lip, still not saying a word. Whenever she was with Hannah and Ben, she felt like she was in a safe bubble. But bubbles burst easily, and now, she was back to thinking about Plutt, of his stubby hands rubbing her shoulders, his breath against her ear, and she shuddered.

Ben sighed. "Rey, I know that I have no business meddling in your personal affairs, but I really hate seeing you so sad. So if there's anything at all that I can do, please tell me. But if you're not ready to talk about it, I understand. I can wait if you need me to."

She looked away. Yes, Ben was patient. And he was a good listener. A good friend. She wanted to spare him the burden she was carrying, but at the same time, her heart was growing too heavy for it. She needed to talk to someone, she realized that, and right now, there was no one she trusted to listen and understand except Ben.

She let out a trapped breath. She was going to tell him. She would have to omit certain details, but she needed to at least tell him what happened with her job. "I...tried to resign from work last week. Plutt refused."

"What?" Ben sat up and looked down at her. "Rey, he can't legally refuse a resignation."

"I know that. But...years ago, I signed an agreement that I can't leave Jakku until all of Grandpa's medical loans are paid for," she explained. "It was part of the compromise to him agreeing to be our loan guarantor aside from my grandfather giving him the deed to our house and land as collateral."

"Wait, so you legally cannot leave Jakku?"

"No. I mean, I can go visit, but not move to other towns and cities."

"And Plutt has the deed to your house and land?"

"Yes. Grandpa stored it in a safety deposit box in the bank and handed the key over to Plutt. So technically, Plutt owns the house I live in until I pay the loan in full." Rey looked at Ben from the corner of her eye, and saw that his face had turned grim.

After a while, he asked, "When do you think you can pay off the loan?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe ten years, seven if I'm lucky."

He sputtered. "That long?"

Rey nodded. "I did tell Plutt that I could pay the loan faster at Chewie's, but he refused and offered me a raise."

"Did you accept it?"

"Yes. I didn't have much of a choice. And then, he just...demoted me and decreased my pay and hours after I talked back to him."

"Why did you talk back?"

Rey started to answer but stopped herself before she could. No, she couldn't tell Ben about Plutt touching her. He was going to fly into a fit of rage for sure, and she was too ashamed to admit she had put herself in a vulnerable position with someone she knew couldn't be trusted around women. "He was...he was being an ass. And now, I'm going to have to either look for another job, which is unlikely given what little good paying jobs there are for me in Jakku, or I take part time work on the side. Maybe waitressing. I don't know."

"There's still another option, Rey," Ben said. "Uncle Chewie's offer still stands. I don't think Plutt can legally bind you to Jakku, even with a signed agreement."

Rey waved a hand. "It doesn't matter. And even if I was able to leave Jakku, I wouldn't."

Ben grew quiet and lowered his gaze. "It's more than just that agreement with Plutt and the collateral, isn't it?"

Rey clasped her hands over her stomach, tightening her fingers together as she said, "Jakku's my home. I have wonderful memories of my grandpa here."

"And when you pay off your loans and get the deed to your house back?" Ben pursued. "Will you still stay?"

She nodded, and he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Rey, your grandfather's gone. He wouldn't want you to stay in this town forever."

Something seemed to snap in Rey, and she quickly sat up, glaring at Ben. "Who are you to say what my grandpa would or wouldn't want? And yes, he's gone but the memories of him aren't."

"You're staying here for a ghost," Ben shot back. "That's not a way to live."

Rey felt her hackles rise. His sharp tone was grating on her nerves. "Why are you so adamant that I leave Jakku, anyway? Why would it matter to you?"

"Because I want you near me!" he snapped. Rey fell silent, and she watched emotions flicker across his face-annoyance, anger, horror and finally, calm as he said, "Near Hannah. I want you near Hannah so we don't have to travel hours just to visit you."

Rey let out a sharp breath. She could still feel the tension in the air, and it was bleeding into her words and tone of voice. "If it's so inconvenient for you to visit, then don't. I'll be the one to visit you guys at Coruscant from now on. There. Is that better?"

"No. It's just not the same as you and I actually _living_ in the same city." Ben shook his head. He was calm now, but for some reason, it irritated her even more. "Rey, you could get a job which pays better. You'll be able to pay off your loans in less time. I could help you get on your feet while you adjust. Help you move and all that."

He was offering to help her. To save her from the predicament she was in, and she was suddenly reminded of Plutt's words:

" _You're a good girl that way, Rey. You can stand on your own feet. You don't need a man to save you."_

Indignant, she said, "Do you think I'm some sort of charity case, Ben?"

His eyes widened, obviously horrified at the suggestion. "No, no, I just want to help."

"I don't need help." She turned away from him and crossed her arms. "I've been fine on my own for the last nine years and I'll continue to do fine."

"So you'd rather stay here, and be alone for the rest of your life," Ben said evenly. "Is that what you're saying?"

"I'm not alone," Rey refuted, still not looking at him. "I have friends."

Ben almost laughed. "What friends? From what you've told me, your friends are in D'Qar City. And even if they lived closeby, they're not your family."

Rey grinded her teeth behind closed lips. She knew they were now both getting on each other's nerves. This was going to barrel into an even bigger argument-something she never thought she would ever have with Ben.

"I know you want a family, Rey," Ben said when she didn't speak.

She responded to his soft tone with a hard one. "And how would you know?"

"Because that's what you said the first time we met when Hannah asked you all those questions," he said, his fingers bunching up on the blanket. "I've listened to you talk about your grandfather. Listened to you talk about Hannah. Seen how happy you are to have her in your life. You need her as much as she needs you. Hannah needs a mother. And I…"

"And you what?" she challenged.

"I need...Fuck! Why is this so hard?" he half-yelled, before he shot up to his feet and began pacing, rubbing his jaw with his hand before standing in front of her, obscuring the view of the campfire and hiding his face in the harsh shadows. "Rey...you and I...we're great co-parents to Hannah. We make it work despite the distance. Can you imagine what we could achieve together? Like, in one place, together? We could be a family. The three of us."

Rey's brows knitted together. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you and I...we could live together. With Hannah. You, me and Hannah."

Rey squared her shoulders, taken aback by the suggestion. "Me? Live with you two?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Rey's mouth hung slightly open, her words failing her. She didn't expect this at all, and even though she didn't want to, she mulled over it. Actually thought about it for a while, but she managed to reason with herself. "Ben...you know I can't do that."

"Why not?" He put his hands on his hips, and she could sense his frustration growing again. "It's a perfectly sound arrangement. Hannah gets the mother she's always wanted. You get to be with Hannah. You get a place to stay as well as a good paying job."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What do you get out of it?"

He paused for a bit. "I get...Hannah's happiness. And yours. I know being with Hannah makes you happy."

Rey didn't know why, but she suddenly felt sad. "Is that all?"

"Yes. That's all."

She fell quiet again, and she pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. "Ben...even if I agree, you know that kind of arrangement won't last."

"We can make it last," he insisted.

Rey held up a hand. "No, we can't. Because one day, you're going to find someone and you're going to get married. Your wife will become Hannah's mother. And where does that leave me?"

Ben took a step back, hands now limp on his sides. "Rey...that's...that's not going to happen."

"It _is_ going to happen, and it should," Rey said, and she felt her heart grow so heavy, it was a struggle to continue speaking. No. She wasn't affected by the thought of Ben getting married one day. _She wasn't_. "It's inevitable that you're going to find someone just as I'm going to find someone."

Ben was quiet. She couldn't make out his expression from the harsh shadows on his face, nor did she want to as she turned away to pick at the lint on her socks.

After a time, she said, "Ben, we can't possibly live out the rest of our lives alone. You need and deserve someone to...to love you and take care of you. And I deserve the same. We both want the same things in life and-"

"We do," Ben agreed, his voice bordering on desperate, though Rey couldn't be sure. "We do want the same things."

She pointed at him, taking on a lighthearted approach as she said, "See? Now we're finally agreeing on something."

Ben was quick to react. "You...you're really, _really_ fucking stubborn!"

Rey's temper flared, and she swiftly stood up. "Why are you shouting?! And yes, I am stubborn! You already knew that."

"Yes, but I didn't realize you were this fucking dense!" he snapped.

"Oh, so now you're calling me stupid just because I won't live with you and Hannah?" Rey fired back.

"I never called you stupid!" Ben denied.

"You just did!" Rey said hotly. "You called me dense!"

"Oh my God, you're completely twisting what I said!" Ben pointed a finger at her, and Rey wanted nothing more than to swat it away from her face. "You're fucking dense because you just don't get it!"

"Don't get what?!"

"That I _love you_ , goddammit!"


	18. Chapter 18

Hannah stirred awake and blinked her eyes open, loosening her grip on Mr. Jingles, the purple teddy bear. She wasn't quite used to sleeping in a sleeping bag, and maybe that was what woke her up. Or maybe it was all the shouting outside.

She quickly sat up. Yes, there was shouting. Those were definitely Rey and Daddy's voices, though she could barely make out the words. Maybe because the tent was further away, but she was sure she heard her daddy say 'goddammit'. That was a bad word he only used when he was really angry.

She crawled out of her sleeping bag, hugging Mr. Jingles close to her chest as she unzipped the tent. She didn't like her mommy and daddy fighting. They were supposed to be having fun.

She came out just in time to see Daddy and Rey staring silently at each other. Daddy's shoulders were heaving, and he looked scared while Rey's eyes were wide like his, her mouth hanging open. They didn't even notice her come out of the tent.

"Daddy? Rey?" Hannah finally called out, and her parents turned to look at her. They both looked stunned. "Are you fighting?"

"We're okay, Sweetie," Rey said, walking over to kneel in front of her. Her mommy's fingers were cold, and they trembled when she reached out to cup her cheek. "Your daddy and I just had a bit of an argument. Nothing serious. Sorry we woke you."

"Yeah, it's nothing serious," Daddy said, though he didn't make a move to get closer. In fact, he took a few steps back. "Go back to sleep, Sweetheart. We uhm...Rey and I need to talk."

Rey quickly stood up. "You know what? Why don't we all go to sleep? It's been a tiring day." She patted Hannah's head before hurrying to her tent, walking past Daddy without so much as looking at him or saying good night.

"Rey, wait," Hannah called, stopping her mommy before she went inside her tent. "You forgot to give me a good night kiss."

"Oh. Sorry." Rey walked back to her, still not looking at Daddy as she bent down to kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, honey. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, Rey," Hannah replied, watching Rey turn around and quietly enter her tent.

Once Rey had zipped up her tent, Hannah turned to her daddy. He was looking down at his feet, his hands clenched at his sides. "Daddy?"

"Let's head to bed," he mumbled. He put out the campfire first then led her back to their tent, where he tucked her back into her sleeping bag with Mr. Jingles. Hannah noticed her daddy's eyes lingering on the bear before he turned off the camping lantern and slipped into his own sleeping bag across hers.

Holding the bear tight, she turned to her side to watch her daddy, who appeared to be staring at the roof of the tent. He still had his glasses on, which meant he was still awake. He only ever took them off when he was ready to sleep.

Hannah continued to quietly observe his strange behavior for half an hour before her eyes grew too heavy to stay awake.

* * *

It was the heat and the brightness that woke her up. Groaning, Hannah pawed around for her phone, and found that it was past eight in the morning.

She stretched and yawned before turning to her side. Daddy was still asleep, and weirdly enough, he still had his glasses on.

She let out a breath and crawled out of the sleeping bag, fanning herself with the lapel of her shirt. How Daddy could sleep through this heat, she didn't know, but she didn't want to wake him either. He must've stayed up very late and forgot to take his glasses off.

Suddenly feeling thirsty, she reached for her tumbler and found it empty. Maybe Rey had some water, she thought, as she took the tumbler with her and hurried out of the tent. The sun was definitely up, and she had to squint for a bit before she was able to see Rey, dismantling her tent.

"Rey?"

"Oh! Good morning, Sweetie," Rey said, turning to smile at her. She sounded tired, and there were bags under her eyes. "Did you have a good rest?"

"Yes." Hannah nodded, then swallowed to moisten her throat. "I'm thirsty."

"Of course. Let me get you some water." Rey stopped what she was doing and got the tumbler from Hannah so she could fill it up from the water jug. Hannah thanked her once it was done, and eagerly took several gulps.

"I'm sweating," Hannah said, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. "How come you're not sweating as much, Rey?"

"I'm used to the desert conditions," Rey explained, taking a hanky from the pocket of her jeans and leaning down to wipe the sweat from Hannah's face. "Coruscant is cooler, so it's only natural that you're not used to Jakku weather."

"Yeah. It's why I woke up." Hannah chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Daddy doesn't seem to mind the heat. He's still asleep. But maybe it's because he stayed up late."

Rey paused. "He did?"

"Yeah. He even forgot to take his glasses off."

Rey was silent for a bit, her hand with the handkerchief still patting along the sides of Hannah's face.

Then, Rey suddenly stood up, her eyes wide. This confused Hannah for a moment before she turned to look at where Rey was looking and found her daddy emerging from the tent, adjusting his glasses along the way.

"Good morning, Daddy," Hannah greeted.

"Good morning," Daddy greeted back, his voice a bit hoarse from sleep. His eyes turned to Rey and he stiffened. "Uhm. Good morning, Rey."

"Morning," Rey said quietly, making Hannah look up at her. She wasn't looking at Daddy. Instead, she was looking down at her hiking boots. "It's going to get really hot soon, so we should all pack up and leave. Have breakfast at my place."

Daddy nodded, then turned around to take down their tent. Hannah ran to help him while Rey walked back to continue taking down hers.

The whole time they were packing up was weird, Hannah thought. Daddy and Rey didn't seem comfortable, and neither of them spoke to each other except for mundane stuff-like if they left anything behind or if they got everything in the truck. And they didn't stand close to each other like they usually did. They must be standing twenty feet away from each other! Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it felt like that to her.

She hoped things would change once they got in the truck. At least then they would be sitting close together, but she quickly found out she was wrong. Neither Rey nor Daddy would speak or look at each other, and the silence was so thick, she decided to cut through it.

"Dune sledding yesterday was so much fun, right Daddy? Rey?"

"Yeah, it was fun."

"It was so fun."

Her parents had both spoken at the same time, she was barely able to catch their words. They quickly grew quiet again. Hannah didn't like that one bit.

"And the smores were delicious too," she said, looking from one parent to the other for a reaction. "I've never had smores with chocolate syrup before."

This time, Rey did smile a little, her eyes still on the road. "My grandpa taught me that. He liked to experiment on food. Sometimes they fail, but most times, they don't."

Hannah nodded. "You have a lot of great memories with your grandpa."

"Yes, quite a lot." Rey made a turn to the main road. They should be back to the house very soon. "I bet you also have a lot of memories of your Grandpa Han."

"Yes, yes, I do." Hannah started bouncing on her seat enthusiastically. She liked talking about Grandpa Han. "He told me so many stories about his adventures with Uncle Chewie. They used to be truck drivers when they were young so they got to travel a lot. When he was alive, he took me and Grandma on as many trips as possible to see and experience everything he did when he was younger."

"I can understand your grandpa's sentiments," Rey said, a little lightness returning to her voice. "He wanted to share those experiences with you, just like I am. Having shared memories with your loved ones is priceless because unlike material things, those memories last a lifetime."

"Loved ones," Hannah murmured, tender feelings welling up in her chest. "Rey, does that mean you love us?"

Rey still had her eyes on the road, but her smile was bright. "Of course, I love you, Sweetie. I thought that was obvious by now."

Hannah giggled, feeling very much giddy. Rey loved her! She knew that already, but it was still wonderful to hear it spoken out loud. "And Daddy too? You love Daddy too, right?"

Rey didn't speak immediately, and instead, cleared her throat very loudly before she pointed out, "Oh, look. We're home. Now, let's get down so we can make breakfast. I'm starving!"

Hannah would have to agree. Her stomach had been grumbling for so long, and her mouth was already watering at the mere thought of food.

Rey stopped the engine and got off the truck, opening her arms to Hannah. She quickly scooted over so she could be carried by her mommy into the house. She was so distracted by her hunger that she barely noticed that Daddy hadn't gotten out of the truck at all. At least, not for a very long time.

* * *

She was wrong to think that things would change during breakfast and lunch at Rey's. It didn't. Daddy didn't even help with the cooking, and instead, went out to check on the car and get their stuff ready for when they leave for Coruscant later that afternoon. He also didn't join in when she and Rey played board games in the living room. He just stayed in the dining room with his laptop, which Hannah understood. He did bring it so he could work on the go. Daddy was a very, very busy man. She was just lucky he even had the time to make this trip to Jakku, though if she were to be honest, this trip would've been a whole lot better if he wasn't so suddenly distant.

When it came time to say goodbye, Rey hugged Hannah tighter and longer than any other times she hugged her. She kissed her forehead. "Be a good girl, alright? I'll see you again soon."

"Will you be going to Coruscant or will we be the ones to come here again?" Hannah asked. "I don't mind either way as long as we get to see you."

"Uhm…" For what seemed like the first time that day, Rey looked up at Daddy, though Hannah noticed it was a very quick glance before she turned to her again. "It's up to your father, Sweetie."

"We'll talk about it next week," Daddy said, his voice flat. "Let's get in the car, Hannah. We have to get back to Coruscant before nightfall."

He started to open the car door, but Hannah quickly tugged at his shirt. "Wait, Daddy. You forgot to give Rey a goodbye kiss."

Daddy seemed to freeze for a moment, his face turned away so Hannah couldn't see his expression. When he did turn around, he was...stone-faced. He wasn't smiling at all when he approached Rey, and Hannah's sharp eyes saw that they only bumped cheeks. No kisses, and it all happened very quickly.

Rey stepped back and did a small wave as she and Daddy got inside the car. Hannah didn't stop waving back at her even as Daddy drove the car further and further away until Rey was only a tiny speck in the distance.

"I miss Rey already," she said as she made herself comfortable in the backseat, pillows and Mr. Jingles ready. "Do you miss Rey too, Daddy?"

"Mmmhmm," was all he said in response.

Then, there was silence. Hannah tried to catch her daddy's eyes in the rearview mirror but naturally, he had his eyes on the road.

After a time, Hannah said, "You're very quiet today, Daddy."

"I just have a lot on my mind, that's all, sweetheart."

"About work?"

"Among other things, yes."

Hannah waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. It made her fidgety, but when it became clear that he wasn't going to talk, she decided to lie down on the backseat, hugging Mr. Jingles to her. She was going to take a nap. Maybe things would be better once she woke up.

* * *

She thought it was just nothing. Daddy said it was nothing, so it must be true, right? Wrong. He and Rey were definitely not talking to each other. It was a shock to Hannah when he came home from work on a Monday night and told her that she should be the one to call Rey, because he would be using his laptop all night from now on and cannot be interrupted with any video calls.

Hannah frowned as Daddy sat behind his desk in the study, ready for an hour or so of working before dinner time. Normally, they would be talking together with Rey at this hour, but he seemed intent on working.

She was afraid to ask, mostly because she was scared of the answer, but she asked anyway. "Daddy, are you and Rey still fighting?"

He stopped typing and peered up from his laptop to look at her. His lips flattened into a fine line before he sighed and said, "We...had a little misunderstanding. That's normal with...friends. It's nothing to worry about."

There it was again. It was nothing. But Hannah knew it wasn't nothing. And so, she prodded again. "Are you two going to be alright?"

Daddy smiled, but it was a weird smile. Like it hurt him to do so. "Of course we will, Sweetheart. Now come here and give Daddy a hug. I need it right now."

Hannah was only too eager to throw her arms around her daddy's big shoulders, and she kissed his cheek before letting go.

"Thank you, Sweetheart." He patted her on the head, ruffling her hair a bit. "Now, off you go. Just call me if you want to have dinner, alright?"

Hannah nodded, walked out of the office and closed the door, but not before sneaking in a peek at her daddy. He didn't go back to work, and instead, stood up from his desk to stare out the window.

She bit her lip and stepped away from the door. The way her daddy was acting...how sad he looked...it was making her feel sad and scared at the same time. What if her mommy and daddy will never be friends again? It was a scary thought, and she decided to put off calling Rey until after she and Daddy cooked and had dinner together. She needed to be brave enough to ask her mommy the same questions too, and that was going to take a bit of time.

* * *

Once they had their dinner and put away the dishes, Daddy went straight back into his home office while Hannah dashed into her room to video call Rey on her phone while she was still brave enough to do so.

It only took a few rings before Rey answered. "Hannah, Sweetie. Hi!"

Rey sounded happy, excited even at the call, but Hannah could tell something was off. Maybe it was her mommy's smile. It didn't seem as radiant.

She decided to just go for it. "Rey, can I ask? Did you and Daddy have a fight when we were camping?"

She watched her mommy pause, eyes unblinking and mouth hanging open before she lowered her head. "You're Daddy and I...we're going to be fine, Honey. It's nothing."

Hannah scrunched up her nose. She was sounding just like Daddy. "If it's nothing, then why are you two not talking?"

Rey took a bit longer to answer, teeth sinking to her bottom lip. "It's just a misunderstanding, that's all. That happens with...friends."

"That's what Daddy said too," Hannah pointed out.

"And he's right," Rey answered quickly. "You have misunderstandings with your friends sometimes, don't you?"

"I guess," Hannah mumbled. "Bridgette and I had a fight earlier. She thought I stole her pencil with the little unicorn on it. It turns out we have the same pencil. We were okay after that."

"See, honey? That's how friendships are. They're not always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes, friends fight even about little things," Rey said with a gentle but sad smile.

"Did you fight with Daddy about a little thing?" Hannah asked, her heart pounding when Rey didn't answer immediately. After a time, she asked, "It was a big thing, wasn't it?"

"It's...we're going to be fine," Rey assured her, but Hannah didn't feel reassured at all. "Still, no matter what happens, your daddy and I will always love you. We will always be your parents, and nothing is ever going to change that. Okay?"

Hannah blinked. No, it was not okay. Rey sounded like Bridgette's mom. Bridgette had told her about what her mom had told her when her parents went through a divorce. And now Rey was saying the same thing!

She started opening her mouth to speak, to point out what she knew about Bridgette's parents, but she stopped. It was stupid. Rey and Daddy weren't going through a divorce. They weren't even married! Well...she wanted them to be, but now that they were fighting, she felt as though that dream was floating away.

"Rey, will you talk to Daddy?" Hannah said in a small voice. "Please? I really want you two to be okay."

"We will. Eventually," Rey said, but it felt like she wasn't keen on the idea. "It's just that, these things take time. Anyway, let's move on to happier things. Tell me about school and about Bridgette."

* * *

It had seemed like forever since attorney-turned-senator Leia Organa set foot in Coruscant City. Well, not exactly set foot. She was in the Bentley after all, with her assistant Charles Threepio and the chauffeur Arthur Artoo. Threepio was still reminding her of the litany of things she will need to do once she got back to her office in a few days but she barely listened. She had been traveling overseas for months and had worked herself to the bone, which was why right now, work was the furthest thing from her mind. All she wanted to do was see her son and granddaughter again.

She felt renewed vigor at the thought of seeing Hannah. That girl always brought back a spark of youth in her, and she needed that kind of energy right now. She needed to hold her grandbaby in her arms and kiss her cheeks and talk to her the way she hadn't been able to do for the longest time.

One more turn and they reached the line of houses that led to Ben's place. She peered out the car window and saw him standing in front of the house with Hannah. She had informed Ben ahead of time of her arrival, but it surprised her nonetheless that he was home. She had expected the babysitter Rose to be the one to meet her at the house because Ben usually came home late. It was a nice change of pace.

"Grandma!" Hannah squealed once she had alighted the vehicle, and she bent down so she could hug the family's little princess. She didn't have to bend too much though. She wasn't exactly towering over people like her late husband and her son, and Hannah seemed to have grown taller.

"My, how you've grown!" Leia declared as she pulled back from the hug. "My little pumpkin isn't so little anymore."

Hannah giggled when Leia repeatedly kissed her cheeks. She turned to her son, and he leaned down so she could pull him into a quick hug. She smiled. They weren't always this warm towards each other. Having Hannah in their lives had made a world of difference.

"How are you, Mother?"

Mother. That was the only remnant of their distant relationship. She still would've preferred if he called her 'Mom', but it would be hard to break the habit now. "I'm a little tired from the journey. And you? You look tired yourself. I can see circles around your eyes."

"It's just been stressful at work. Nothing to worry about."

Leia tightened her lips. She wasn't so sure about that. There was a sadness about Ben that she couldn't ignore, and she resolved to talk to him later about it. "So, have you both prepared dinner yet? Because if not, we can order take out. I'd cook with you, but I'm exhausted."

"It's okay, Grandma. Daddy and I already cooked because he came home early." Hannah tugged at her hand. "Let's go eat and talk! Daddy and I have so much to tell you!"

"...and she added chocolate syrup to my smores. It was delicious!"

"Mmmm! I have to try that sometime." Leia wiped her mouth with a napkin. Her granddaughter had spent almost the entire dinner catching her up on Rey-from their first meeting, to the nightly video calls, and to their weekend visits. It seemed Hannah had definitely developed a close relationship with her biological mother in the span of a few months. With Ben too, if the little girl was to be believed, but Leia wasn't so certain about that. Whenever Hannah would try to get Ben included in the conversation or pointed out how he too had become close to Rey, Ben seemed to clam up. In fact, he was silent for most of the meal and only ever talked when necessary.

If his behavior wasn't strange enough, he was quick to excuse himself from the table after eating.

"I need to get back to work," he reasoned. "I still have a lot of reports to make for tomorrow."

"Alright, Son." Leia nodded and watched him walk out of the dining room.

"Daddy's sad," Hannah said once her father was out of earshot, and Leia turned to her in surprise. Then again, her granddaughter had always been quite perceptive.

"Why do you say that, Pumpkin?"

"He and Rey had a fight." Hannah twisted her lips. "Actually, they call it a misunderstanding. They haven't been talking since we were camping in the desert. And it's been days!"

"I see." Leia nodded. That would explain why Ben was acting the way he was. There was something else nagging her too-the way Hannah described Ben and Rey's initial closeness, how happy her Daddy was around her. It was a suspicion that took hold of her and wouldn't let go.

She ushered Hannah from the table so they could put the dishes in the dishwasher, her mind still on her son even as Hannah moved on to talk about a different topic. She wanted to be able to focus on her granddaughter, but she won't be able to do that until she got her son's situation sorted.

"Hannah, Pumpkin, go and play on your Swatch. I need to talk to your father for a bit but I'll be right back."

"It's called a Switch, Grandma," Hannah corrected with a laugh, but did as she was told and went to the entertainment room.

Once she was gone, Leia left for Ben's study, walking through the house until she reached his office door. She knocked softly. "Ben, can I come in?"

"Yes, Mother," Ben called from inside, and Leia went in to find him standing by the window beside his desk. "What can I do for you?"

He was still so formal with her, Leia thought, but she supposed that was no fault but her own. Years of schooling him on etiquette and propriety-something that had been passed on to her by her own parents-had indeed turned him into a prim and proper young man. Well...except for those few years of rebellion when he joined that rock band, but he changed after Hannah was born. Everything changed for all of them when Hannah was born, and it was a change for the better. They had a closer relationship now, but she still couldn't quite get past that barrier of formality between them.

"It's not what you can do for me. It's what I can do for you." Leia stepped further inside until she was sitting on the chair in front of his desk. "Ever since I got here, I noticed that you've been...how should I put it...off. Is there something bothering you?"

Ben paused for a bit before slowly sitting down on his swivel chair, one hand running across his dark hair. "How much did Hannah tell you?"

"Only that you and Rey had a misunderstanding and that you haven't talked in days," Leia said. She waited for her son to talk, but he didn't. He seemed to be contemplating though, and she added, "Ben, I know that I wasn't really the best mother-"

"Please don't say that," he protested. "You've been a great mother-"

"I was neglectful, Son. Let's not delude ourselves. And I'm the first to admit that your father and I should've given you more attention when you were growing up." She tightened her lips, regret seeping into her thoughts before she shook them away. "For what it's worth, I'm here for you now. And I hate seeing you so torn up. So please. Tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help."

Ben grew quiet again. She watched him bury his face in his palms before running both his hands through his scalp, mussing up his otherwise perfectly combed hair.

He drew a breath, and Leia straightened in her seat.

"Hannah...she talked earlier about how close Rey and I had gotten, right?" he asked, and Leia nodded, her hands curling involuntarily on her long pencil skirt. She had an inkling of where this was going, and she felt her heart pound in anticipation. "It's...it's gotten to a point where I...I sort of...I mean I'm…"

He trailed off, absently running his forefinger across his lips as he stared off at nothing in particular.

Leia sighed and ventured, "You've fallen in love with her haven't you?"

Ben stopped rubbing his lips, his eyes locking with his mother's. After a time, his shoulders sagged and he nodded.

Leia looked away. She had to, if only to hide the smile that was beginning to form on her lips. She had never met this Rey. She had only talked to her on the phone once, and had only learned more about her from Hannah's constant chatter during dinner earlier. She sounded like a wonderful person, and to have her son admit that he had fallen in love-which she believed was for the first time ever in his life-was making her happier than she ever thought it would. Her mind was suddenly bombarded with images of children running up and down the stairs of this five-bedroom house, but she swiftly got herself back to the present.

"Does Rey know that you love her?"

Leia saw pain lance through her son's features, and she watched him take in a shaky breath.

"Mother...I...I fucked up." Ben froze from his use of profanity and apologized, but she stopped him.

"It's okay, Ben. But tell me. How did you...fuck up?"

She thought she could see just the faintest hint of a smile on her son's lips at her cursing. It was highly improper, but if it brought some levity to this otherwise oppressive atmosphere, then she would curse some more until he was bursting at the seams with laughter.

Thank goodness she didn't need to resort to that though, as Ben began telling her about what had happened in the desert. She listened with rapt attention in regards to Rey's work and financial situation as well as her emotional attachment to her late grandfather, both of which kept her tethered to her hometown.

"So I tried to convince her to leave Jakku. To come live with Hannah and me," Ben continued. "As you know from Hannah, Uncle Chewie already has a job waiting for her here. But she wouldn't budge. I got so frustrated that I started yelling at her and called her dense."

Leia winced. "Son, that wasn't...very nice."

"No, it wasn't," Ben agreed mournfully. "She started yelling back and the next thing I know, I...I blurted it out to her."

"Blurted what out to her?"

"That I loved her." Once again, Ben buried his face in his palms before running them up his hair and grabbing fistfuls of strands. "I didn't just blurt it out. I practically screamed at her and cursed at the same time."

Leia sucked in a breath through her teeth, hissing a little as though she had been stung. Her son really did fu...messed up. "And then what happened?"

"Hannah was apparently woken up by our fighting and got out of the tent to stop us." Ben leaned heavily against the backrest of his chair, as though his confession had knocked the wind out of him. "I can still remember the look of...of horror on Rey's face. We haven't talked since then. And even if I had the guts to call her, I wouldn't know what to say. I've completely ruined our friendship and all because I couldn't stop my stupid mouth."

"It wasn't your mouth, Son. It was your heart." Leia reached across the desk to put a hand over Ben's. "You've been holding back your feelings for her for so long. It was bound to come out one way or another."

"Yeah. I just wish it didn't have to come out like that." He turned his palm over so he could hold her hand properly, his eyes growing misty. "Mother...I don't know what to do. Do I just tell her that it was just a heat of the moment thing? That I didn't really mean it?"

Leia shook her head vigorously. "No, Son, no. That's going to make things worse. She'll think you're toying with her feelings."

"Then, I'm screwed." He sighed, and Leia tightened her hold of his hand. He was starting to talk more casually; less formal. She liked that, but there were other pressing matters to attend to. "I tried, Mother. I really tried to keep it in so I wouldn't ruin our friendship. So I wouldn't lose her. But now…"

"Son...maybe there's a chance for you just yet."

Ben looked up, and Leia smiled to give him reassurance.

"She never outright rejected you, did she?" she asked.

"Mother, you should've seen her face. She looked horrified. Disgusted even."

"You don't know that," Leia refuted gently. "You were in shock. Your perception could have been skewed. As long as she didn't say no or that she didn't feel the same way, you still have a chance."

"But…"

"Rey could very well have feelings for you too, but just doesn't realize it yet." She patted his hand with her other hand. "I should know. I didn't even realize I was in love with your father until he confessed to me."

"You didn't?" There was a glimmer of hope in Ben's voice.

Leia beamed. "I didn't. Though in retrospect, I was actually in denial. He wasn't exactly someone my parents would have approved of, and I didn't want to admit to myself that I was in love with such a scoundrel. But after his confession, everything clicked into place, and the same might be true for Rey."

"But what if she rejects me?" Ben asked, slipping his hand away from her grasp to comb through his hair again.

"You never know until you talk to her," Leia pointed out, then added, "In person."

Ben stopped running his hand over his hair. "You want me to talk to her? Like, face to face?"

Leia nodded. "It's more sincere that way. Bring her flowers while you're at it. Apologize to her, and then tell her you love her. Properly this time."

"I don't know, Mother," Ben said, lips flattening into a fine line. "Our relationship is already so complicated as it is. Rey did tell me once that love gets in the way of friendship. It's getting in the way of ours now."

"True, it can get in the way, or it could enrich it. Make it blossom into something more beautiful," Leia noted. "Ben, there's no going back to what you had said. The only way to go from here is forward. Take a leap of faith. If she loves you back, then that's absolutely wonderful. If she doesn't...then at least you know you tried."

Ben seemed to consider this for a moment before he let out a sharp breath. "Even if I did confess to Rey again, there's still Hannah to consider. I can't be selfish. If Rey rejects me, it would be too awkward for all of us, especially for Hannah. She really wants Rey and me to be together."

"Sure, it may be uncomfortable at first," Leia acknowledged, "but eventually, it'll pass as long as both of you are determined to make it work for Hannah. There are more than enough divorced couples who are able to co-parent their children and maintain a civil relationship. Not saying you're going through a divorce, but it's the closest analogy I could think of."

Ben lowered his gaze, and Leia waited patiently for him to take it all in. Finally, he looked at her, his face brightening. "Thank you, Mother. I really needed this."

Leia smiled from ear to ear. She could feel tears prickle at the corners of her eyes. It always brought her such joy to be able to help others, even more so with her family. With her son.

She stood up and opened her arms. Ben was quick to walk around his desk and hug her, nearly folding himself in half to do so.

She patted his back, and not so formally, said, "Go get her, tiger."

* * *

This was madness. Absolute madness.

Here he was, driving across quiet roads in the dead of night, hands trembling on the steering wheel as he constantly checked on the passenger's seat to make sure the bouquet of Rey's favorite flower-daisies-was still there, as though it would just disappear into thin air.

He was going insane. He had to be. What sane man would just up and leave at night, beg the closest flower shop to open for him, then drive to the middle of nowhere to confess to the woman he loves? At least he wasn't crazy enough to leave his daughter alone. His mother was with her, and had given him her blessing to travel the three hours it would take to get to Jakku. Well, two hours, now that there wasn't much traffic.

It still didn't make his impulse decision to go that very same night any less nuts, but Ben knew he had to. His talk with his mother had given him just enough courage to go, and he had to before he changed his mind.

He called Rey first, of course. He wasn't an idiot. But she kept ending the call. He tried three more times before his calls led to voicemail. She must've switched off her phone. She clearly didn't want to talk to him, but he was already halfway there, and soon, he passed by the now familiar, dilapidated sign that welcomed motorists to the small town of Jakku. He had arrived. No turning back now.

He drove off the road, checking his GPS to make sure he was heading the right way, all the while passing far between houses. It was almost eleven in the evening, so most of the houses already had their lights out. The streetlamps were on to guide him though, until he saw Rey's house in the distance.

He drove closer and closer, his eyes so fixated on the wooden bungalow that he almost crashed into the car parked in front of Rey's house. He stopped behind the car and frowned. He'd never seen this car before, and he knew Rey only owned that Chevy from her grandfather. Did that mean she had a visitor? At this hour? Was that...was that why she wouldn't answer his calls? Because someone was with her?

A peal of laughter echoed from the house. He turned just in time to see Rey, leading a man out of the door and into the dimly lit porch, his heart stopping when he saw her pull the man into her arms, their shadowed faces angled into what could only be an intimate kiss.


	19. Chapter 19

Time seemed to stop when Ben saw Rey kissing the man on the porch. His heart sank and his whole body grew cold. It was as if the ground had opened up beneath him, leaving him free falling into an abyss.

He backed up his Mustang and turned around, the car kicking dust and sand along the way. His mind and emotions were in turmoil. Rey was with another man. She was laughing with him before kissing him. And she was embracing him with such familiarity that he knew this wasn't some one time thing. This was an established relationship.

He didn't know which one was worse.

He drove faster, not caring if he was beyond the speed limit as he thought back to all the conversations he had with Rey. Aside from her friends and Plutt, she had never mentioned any other men in her life, especially not one she was romantically involved with.

Wait. There was one.

Tommy. Her ex.

His eyes widened and he suddenly found it hard to breathe. That would explain the familiarity between them. The only explanation for the kiss. Could they have reconciled? And she never told him?

He shook his head as he drove further and further away from Jakku. Why would she tell him anyway? They may be friends, but she was entitled to her personal life.

Friends. They were friends and now it was clear that was all they ever would be.

He felt a stinging sensation in his eyes but he quickly blinked and focused on the road, the scenery passing by like a blur. He remembered her telling him that she was going to find someone to spend her life with one day. It looked like she already had, and he didn't even know. But he should have. Rey...she was special. And if he were Tommy, he would realize his mistake too and try and win her back.

It looked like he had succeeded.

In a moment of clarity, he checked his speedometer and slowed down. Hannah. He had to focus on Hannah now and keep himself safe while traveling. She couldn't and shouldn't lose her father, even as said father was losing himself in the chaos of his emotions.

He arrived home at past one in the morning to a quiet house. Both his mother and Hannah should be asleep by now. Good. He didn't think he could talk to either of them at the moment. His whole drive home had been spent thinking about Rey and the kiss, and if he were to be pressed for answers, he might just break down. It was nearly impossible to hold himself together as it was.

He sat heavily on the couch and buried his head in his palms, grimacing as he did. It hurt. It fucking hurt. After he had confessed to her, this was what she resorted to? Going back to the arms of an ex-lover? Or was it his love confession that pushed her back to Tommy? Back to something familiar? Rey already had a tendency to stick to the status quo and avoid change.

He let out a groan that progressed into a sob. He realized now that he never really stood a chance against Rey's stubbornness. Probably never even stood a chance against her first love. She did mention they had planned a future together, and if those plans involved her remaining in Jakku for the rest of her life…

He shot up to his feet and marched towards the kitchen. He had to do something to dull the pain. It was beginning to overwhelm him, and so he walked over to his minibar, grabbed a glass and a bottle of brandy before going back to the living room and pouring himself a drink.

He made a face with each gulp of the liquor as it burned down his throat but he continued to pour glass after glass. He wasn't an alcoholic, though his father had taught him to drink years ago. He only ever drank during social gatherings though or to help him sleep, but this time was different. This time, he needed to drown the ache, and if he could drink until he knocked himself out, then all the better. Because right now, he couldn't stop thinking about Rey's laughter followed by that damned kiss on that dark porch.

His breath hitched, and he downed another shot to stop the sob bubbling up his chest. He'd bared his heart to her and what did she do? Shatter it into a million fucking pieces. Sure, she had made his and Hannah's life fuller. Sure, she had made the world brighter. Made him feel things he had never felt before. Made him want to be a better man. Well, fuck that, she'd just thrown him into a fucking pit of despair with her obliviousness, her bull-headed attitude and frankly, her lack of consideration for his feelings. Why couldn't she have just been honest with him from the beginning and tell him she and her ex were still a thing? Why did she lie?!

One more shot, and his vision blurred. It was the alcohol. Not tears. He wasn't crying, and his shoulders weren't trembling. It was all the alcohol.

Putting the glass back on the coffee table, he lifted his legs up the couch and lay there, eyes stinging as he stared at the darkened ceiling. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to hate her, but he couldn't. Not when the memory of her repeatedly ran through his head-of her smile, the twinkling of her eyes, the conversations they had, the little jokes and laughter they shared, and all the moments that brought them closer together. He had never been in love with anyone like this, and even though he was hurting, he couldn't imagine a world where he actually hated Rey. Right now, he was just...sad. Devastated. And all he wanted right now was to be free of the pain. Only sleep could give him solace, and he was thankful when it came to swiftly take him.

* * *

"Ben. Ben, wake up."

His head was throbbing. He could practically feel the nerves at the side of his head pulsating, and his eyelids were heavy but he forced them open to see his mother, looking down disapprovingly at him.

"Benjamin Organa Solo. Have you been drinking?"

His full name. Mother only ever used that when she was either mad or disappointed. Groaning, he pushed himself up from the couch, one hand clawing at his scalp as if grasping for some sort of relief from the headache.

Mother's voice softened as she said, "What happened?"

"It...it didn't work out," he muttered, grabbing his phone to check the time. 7:15AM. Which meant that aside from a restless sleep, he didn't get enough sleep at all. But what caught his attention the most was the number of missed calls he got, all of them from Rey.

He switched his phone off.

"Let's talk about it later," Mother said, helping him off the couch and steadying him. "For now, go and gargle. Can't have Hannah smell alcohol on your breath when we send her off to school. I'll put away the bottle."

Ben nodded quietly and did as he was told, brushing his teeth while he was at it. His mother was right. He couldn't let his daughter see him like this. He had to keep up appearances for her sake.

He took an aspirin and fixed his hair before heading out in time to see Mother helping Hannah put on her backpack by the front door. The school bus was already waiting up front.

Hannah saw him and her face immediately brightened. Ben felt a painful twinge in his heart. He knew his daughter resembled her mother greatly, but it hurt even more now to see that resemblance. "Daddy! You missed breakfast with me and Grandma. Did you oversleep?"

"Yes, Sweetheart. I'm sorry." He walked over, trying his best not to wobble and leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of Hannah's head. "Have fun at school, alright?"

"I will." She nodded, and he and his mother led her up to the bus.

Once the bus left, Mother turned towards him, threading her arm through his. "Now, tell me what happened. What did you mean it didn't work out?"

Ben sighed and led her back into the living room. "Rey is...Rey is with someone else." He sat down heavily on the couch, massaging his temples. "I arrived there just in time to see her kissing a man on her porch."

Mother was silent for a while, before she sat down beside him. "Are you sure? Absolutely sure you saw them kissing?"

He nodded, though her question put a sliver of doubt to what he had witnessed but he pushed the thought away. "It was probably her ex-boyfriend. That's the only person she said she was romantically involved with. Unless she lied about that and has been seeing someone all this time."

"Does Rey strike you as someone who would lie?" Mother asked gently. "I'm just trying to play devil's advocate here. But what if you were wrong? It could just be a friend or-"

"I know what I saw," he interrupted, putting his anger and hurt in check as memories of the kiss assailed him once more. "They were kissing. And she was laughing with him. I've never heard her laugh like that before. Carefree and happy."

He buried his head in his palms, doing his best to keep himself together. The last thing he needed was to break down into tears in front of his mother.

After a time, he straightened himself. He had come to a decision. A difficult one, but it was sound. It was logical. It was damned _painful_. "Mother, I can't have Rey in mine and Hannah's lives. It's...it's too confusing and complicated. I know Hannah's hoping for us to be together, but it's just not going to happen. I don't want to give her false hope."

He turned and saw his mother's lips had flattened into a fine line. She let out a breath and said, "Son, I don't want you to rush into a decision you might regret. Maybe you should talk to Rey first."

"And what? Tell her I saw her kissing some guy?" He slumped back on the couch. "She'll just end up asking me why I was there or just flat out tell me that her personal life is not any of my business. Either way, it's only going to lead to another argument."

"You don't know that," Mother said softly.

"You're right, I don't know. Maybe I don't know her as much as I thought I did." He massaged his temples again. "But I've made up my mind. I was a fool to think I could ever be with someone like her. I suppose this is karma. I broke so many hearts back in the day. I didn't realize it would hurt this much."

Then, there was silence. His mother couldn't argue with that because it was true. Maybe if he had gotten his shit together years ago, he would've gotten married to someone else and ended up with just an uncomplicated friendship with Rey. Or maybe he wouldn't have needed to meet her at all because Hannah would've been satisfied with a mother.

After a few quiet moments, Mother asked, "When are you telling Hannah?"

"When the time is right," he answered. "I'm going to need to prepare for when I do tell her. She's not going to take it well, but it's for the best. She'll understand someday."

"I see." Mother nodded. "I've never met Rey, but it's clear Hannah loves her dearly. You're going to hurt her if you completely cut Rey from your lives."

"I know," Ben agreed. "But it's better than dragging this out and making her think things could work out between Rey and me. Better to nip it in the bud."

Mother reached out to put a wrinkled hand over his. "I'm sorry, Ben. Maybe if I hadn't given Hannah Rey's contact information, none of this would have happened."

"It's okay. It's not your fault I fell in love with her when I shouldn't have." He patted her hand and gave her a weak smile. "That's all on me."

Mother smiled back just as weakly. "The heart wants what the heart wants. Whatever your decision may be, I'll support you. But promise me you'll think about it?"

"I will," he said, though that was only half the truth. He had already decided. And he was going to act on that decision before he could change his mind.

* * *

 _The day before…_

He'd told her that he loved her. Just blurted it out to her, actually screamed it at her face.

And she believed him. She had never known Ben to lie, and no matter how many times she tried to convince herself that he meant he loved her as a friend, there was no denying that everything pointed to him actually having fallen in love with her. All those moments between them, the way he looked at her, the times he had almost kissed her...because she definitely believed now that he had wanted to kiss her the last time she went to Coruscant. He'd held her intimately; had stared at her lips with want. And God help her, she'd wanted him to make a move and…

 _Shit._

Rey shook her head and paced her living room while biting her thumbnail. It had become a habit for her, all this pacing and nail biting ever since Ben's confession. It had completely thrown her off and now she didn't know what to do with herself. Didn't know what to do with her own feelings. And so she had avoided talking to Ben, and she was glad he didn't seem too keen to talk to her either; at least, not in the last few days. It was still too fresh. But as time passed without any sort of communication between them, she was thrown further and further into turmoil. What if Hannah hadn't interrupted them? What would she have done? What was she even supposed to say to that?

Her phone rang for what seemed like the umpenteenth time that night. Her heart pounding with dread, she took it out of her pocket and hoped it wasn't Ben again. He had been calling her for the past several minutes but she still wasn't ready to talk to him. She was about to swipe to end the call, but when she saw Finn's name flash across the screen, she grew confused. They hadn't talked in months. Not since she had called him when Hannah first arrived on her doorstep.

She quickly answered the call. "Finn?"

"Hey, Peanut," he greeted. "Listen. I know this seems out of the blue, but I'm currently on my way to Pasaana for the Festival of Lights and will be passing by Jakku shortly. I need to cover it for a story. I could drop by and pick you up. It's gonna be fun."

Rey chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I'm not sure now's a good time."

"Oh? How so?"

She started pacing again, all the while contemplating on how much she should tell her best friend. She could always rely on him for answers, but this was big. She hadn't even told him about Ben yet.

"Rey? Is something wrong?"

She sighed heavily. "You remember my daughter? Hannah?"

"Daughter?" Finn paused for a moment. "Oh, right, right. Your daughter from the egg donor thing. You never really updated me on that."

"Sorry," Rey mumbled. "Thing is...I've become close to her and her father the last few months and...he confessed to me."

"Who confessed to you what?"

"Hannah's father. Ben. He confessed that he loved me."

Another pause from Finn, this time much longer. "Peanut, I'm heading to your place."

"What? No, Finn. You have a story to cover for the paper and-"

"Never mind that. This is a story that I personally want to hear."

* * *

Finn arrived not too long after they ended the call. She greeted him with a fierce hug. While they had talked on the phone sporadically, she hadn't seen him for nearly a year. He was still pretty much the same friend she had known since she was a kid-dark brown skin, black hair with the tightest curls she had ever seen, although this time, he'd shaved most of his head save for the top, and he sported a bit of a mustache.

Once they got the pleasantries out of the way, Rey told him everything: from how Ben had barged in the same day Hannah arrived, how they had essentially built a long-distance friendship over the course of a few months, the visits, their closeness, his generosity, and finally, their first argument in the desert which led to Ben's explosive confession.

Finn occasionally asked questions, though he seemed to hang on to her every word. And when she was done, she looked to where he was seated on the couch, watching him rub a hand over his jaw. "Well? What do you think I should do?"

"What do _you_ think you should do?" he threw back at her.

"I don't know," she said, frustration in her voice as she started pacing again. "That's why I'm asking you because I really have no idea."

Finn considered her for a time, before he patted the space beside him on the couch. She felt her shoulders sag, and she walked over to sit beside him.

"Peanut," he began, "the way you describe Ben to me and your relationship with him...it seems you two have gotten very close."

She nodded softly, staring down at her hands clasped over her lap.

"And he sounds like a good man who understands you, shares a lot of the same interests as you and makes you laugh."

"Yes." Rey nodded again.

Finn raised an eyebrow at her. "Is he good-looking?"

She let out a short laugh. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Humor me a bit." He grinned. "Well? Is he hot?"

"He's...attractive, yes." Rey returned the grin, although she was more embarrassed than anything else. She had never admitted to anyone that she found Ben quite handsome. Not that she had anyone to admit it too, but she felt a sense of relief at having revealed it to a friend.

"Okay, okay. Let me get this straight." Finn shifted in his seat so he could have a better look at her. "You have this rich, hot, intelligent, generous, caring man who is head over heels in love with you-"

"I wouldn't say he's head over heels in lo-"

"Hush. He is. After everything you've told me, I have no doubt he's crazy for you," Finn said, gesturing with his hands. "Anyway, this guy, who by the way, other girls would kill for, is desperately in love with you. I don't see the problem. Unless you don't like him?"

"I _do_ like him," Rey blurted out, then clamped her lips shut. That was...unexpected. To her, at least. Finn didn't seem surprised, and was in fact smirking.

"And do you love him?"

"I...I don't know." She threw her hands up in the air before letting them fall on her lap again. "Love...love complicates things. I mean, I like the arrangement we have now, this whole co-parenting Hannah and being really close friends. I don't want to change that."

Finn sighed. "Peanut...I hope you don't take this the wrong way or anything, but why are you so resistant to change? You've basically lived the same life for nearly a decade. This is your chance at something fresh. Your chance at love. I say, you move to Coruscant. Be with Ben and Hannah. Poe knows a lawyer who can help you with that agreement you had with Plutt about not leaving Jakku. Heck, I don't even think that was legal-"

"Finn, you know there are other reasons why I can't leave Jakku," Rey said, her tone defeated.

He nodded in understanding. "Your grandfather and this house. Right. Well, maybe you can still consult with Poe's lawyer friend about that collateral agreement with Plutt. Maybe find some loopholes."

She shook her head. "I have to do this on my own. It's my problem. I don't want to have to rope others into it."

Finn slumped back on the couch. "Ah, Peanut. Still as stubborn as ever."

"So I've been told." Rey let out a short chuckle, then leaned back on the couch as a companionable silence stretched between them.

"Rey...what would it take for you to leave Jakku?"

"I don't know. If my grandfather were here and told me to leave…"

"Except your grandfather isn't here," Finn pointed out. "Rey, I know you hate it when people speak for your grandfather, but don't you think he'd want you to live your life? For you to be free to love and be happy instead of being shackled to this town?"

"I suppose if Grandpa had his way, I would've been out of Jakku a long time ago," Rey admitted.

"There, see? Even you think so. And is Ben worth leaving all this behind?"

It took a while, but she finally nodded, albeit shakily. "Finn...I'm so scared. I...I haven't felt this way for a long time, and it's different from how I felt with Tommy. We were young and in love and-"

"And he was a dick for leaving you when you needed him the most."

"Yeah. He was. I suppose Grandpa's cancer diagnosis made me mature faster than Tommy would've liked and he wasn't ready for responsibilities like I was. In a way, I was thankful he broke up with me."

"I remember you didn't even cry at all." Finn mused. "I was very proud of you for that."

Rey smiled. "Yeah."

"Did you even really love Tommy?" he asked. "Or was that just some crush that he happened to reciprocate?"

"Well...I was happy with him," Rey said, though she was a little uncertain with her own words.

"But was it enough?" Finn pursued.

She shook her head. "No, I suppose not."

"And with Ben? How is it different?"

Rey took in a deep breath, warm feelings suddenly welling up inside her. "With Ben, it's like every time he's around, I feel...light. And happy. I want to make _him_ happy. He feels like...home. And with Hannah, it feels like I have a family again."

Finn smiled and nudged her shoulder. "You love him. Admit it."

She squirmed in her seat and looked away. "Maybe I have feelings for him."

"Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're going to be stubborn even about this?"

"I have to be, Finn. I can't just throw away mine and Ben's friendship for this," she insisted. "What about Hannah? It would devastate her if it doesn't work out. Like I told you, she wants me and Ben to be together."

"If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't." He shrugged. "Hannah seems like a smart kid. She'll understand, just as long as you and Ben remain co-parents. I think you both care about each other enough to make it work."

"Yes, but...if Ben and I become a couple, and we end up having a falling out...I don't think I'll be able to take it as well as I did with Tommy."

"Of course you wouldn't. Because this isn't some little requited crush. You love Ben." He punctuated the last sentence with a pointed finger. "But you know what? It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Rey rolled her eyes. "Can you seriously get any more cliché?"

"It's true. I took the leap with Poe. And it turned out great for us. If I hadn't stepped out of my comfort zone to be with him, I probably would never have experienced the happiness I have with him now." Finn beamed, eyes twinkling as he leaned forward and put an arm around Rey's shoulders. "I want you to take that leap with Ben too because you really never know until you try. It's better to regret something you did than something you didn't do."

Rey chuckled. "You're pulling quotes from books again."

"Well, I am a voracious reader. You have to be in order to be a writer." He paused, then turned to look at his wristwatch. "Speaking of which, I need to get going. The Festival of Lights begins at midnight so I only have an hour left to get there."

"Alright." Rey stood up, as did Finn. "Thank you Finn. I feel so much better now."

"Any time, Peanut." He pulled her into a sideways hug as they made their way out of the living room and into the dimly lit porch. "So, you're going to call him and tell him how you feel?"

"Maybe in the morning. I think he's already asleep by now."

"Okay. But you better not get cold feet the moment I walk out. Even if it's miles between here and Pasaana, I might just come back to throttle the stubbornness out of you."

Rey laughed. "Nice to hear my best friend threatening me bodily harm."

"As if you haven't done the same to me." He laughed with her and pulled her into another fierce embrace. Rey tightened her arms around him and gave him a long kiss on the cheek. She had never been more thankful to have her best friend here. She needed this talk. Needed help to sort out her feelings for Ben. And now…

Screeching tires interrupted her thoughts, and she let go of Finn to see dust kicking up and the red tail lights of a car speeding away into the night. She thought there was something vaguely familiar about the car, but it was dark out so she wasn't sure.

"Strange," she said. "I rarely have cars come by here. It's not part of the main road."

"Sound like some drag racer the way it's speeding away. Maybe using this road so he wouldn't be caught," Finn remarked. "Anyway, I gotta go. And you better call me and tell me what happens after you talk to Ben. I want all the juicy details."

"I will," Rey promised, and walked with him to his car, waving as he drove off before heading back inside the house.

She would call Ben in the morning, she thought. He was usually up around half an hour before seven to make Hannah breakfast, and she smiled at the prospect of telling him that she...felt something for him. That maybe...just maybe...she was in love with him too.

As for her leaving Jakku...they'll work it out. She wouldn't have to move to Coruscant. At least, not right away. In a few years maybe, provided they were still together by then.

 _Together_ , she thought, feeling her cheeks grow warm, her heart beating fast as she lay down on bed and pulled the covers up to her neck.

She slept peacefully that night for the first time in days. And the first thing she did when she woke up to a glorious sunrise the next morning was to call Ben.

He didn't answer. And while a small feeling of dread seeped into her, she ignored it. There could be any number of reasons why Ben wasn't answering. Maybe he had overslept. Maybe his phone was on silent mode. No matter. She would just call him after her shift, when he was sure to be home with Hannah.

She could hardly wait.

* * *

Rey wiped the sweat off her brow as she continued to sort scraps with some new workers who were chattering around her as if they had known each other all their lives. Ah, to be young and naive, she thought. These kids won't last a month under Plutt, and so she didn't care to join in on their conversation, except for when she had to guide them on what to do. She had been around longer after all, and their supervisor wasn't exactly the most diligent person in the scrapyard.

She sighed. If Plutt hadn't demoted her, she would still be operating the crane, and she missed that. Still, she'd rather be demoted and have her hours cut than tolerate any more of his harassment. And since her new schedule required her to come in at 10AM instead of 7AM, she didn't have to bring Plutt his morning coffee anymore. Except for the few times he wanted to be an ass and lord his power over her, but at least she didn't have to do it everyday like she used to.

Thank God for small favors.

She glanced at her wristwatch. It was 6PM. The end of her shift. Smiling, she stepped away from the conveyer belt and hurried to the locker room. Ben should be home by now, and once she got back to her house, she'd be able to talk to him. Tell him how she felt. It had been what had fueled her all day, nervousness and excitement bubbling inside her all at once. She wondered how he would react. She hoped he would be happy.

Once in the locker room, she took off her hard hat and put it inside her locker before grabbing her keys and her cellphone. She was about to close the locker door when her phone rang.

Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. Ben. Ben was calling her.

Heart pounding, she cleared her throat and answered the call. "Ben! Hi!"

Okay. She was a little enthusiastic, but whatever. She was just happy he was reaching out to her.

"Hello, Rey."

Her brows met with worry. He didn't sound excited. He sounded rather gloomy. But no matter. Once she told him how she felt, she was sure she could turn things around. "Ben...about what happened last weekend, during camping, I-"

"It's not going to work out, Rey."

She froze, not just from his words, but also from the ice in his tone. It took awhile for her to find her voice again, and when she did, she was trembling. "W-What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"This...arrangement. Co-parenting Hannah," he clarified. "It's not going to work out."

"But…" Rey trailed off. She wasn't expecting this. It was as if the rug had been pulled from beneath her feet. "But you told me it works. That even with distance between us, we make it work."

She heard him sigh deeply from his end. "I said it because I was...I was desperate to get you here to Coruscant. But now I realize that you're right. Everything I said, the arrangement I proposed, it's not going to work out especially since you can't and won't leave Jakku. Hannah needs a mother-"

"I _am_ Hannah's mother," she insisted. Her voice was starting to become shrill, but she didn't care. Not like anyone else was in the locker room at the moment and even if there was, she still probably could care less. "I've made mothering her over a long distance work for months. What changed?"

"That's the problem. The distance," he countered. "Are you even here to tuck her in at night? Hold her when she cries or wakes up from her nightmares? Or calm her down when she's having a tantrum? No. You're not here alongside me to raise her. You're only around when it's fun. Real mothers are around for both the good times and the bad. You can't be a real mother as long as you're in Jakku. Hannah deserves better and you know it. She doesn't deserve to be strung along especially when you're clearly not interested in being the mother she needs."

"Not interested?" Rey parotted. She was beginning to feel lightheaded from all the barbs Ben had thrown her way. "Haven't I proven myself enough? That I want nothing more than to be her mother in every way, not just biologically?"

"You're not Hannah's legal mother," he said flatly. "You relinquished your parental rights the moment you signed that contract with that egg donor clinic."

His words had sounded rehearsed, and she was brought back to the first day they met. He had said the same thing. "But...I thought we had resolved that. That it didn't matter anymore."

She waited for him to respond, but there was only silence. She had to look at her phone to see if he was still on the call, and seeing that he was, put the phone back against her ear. Steeling herself, she asked, "Is this about your...your confession?"

"Hannah wants us to be together," Ben said, his words hurried. "And I see now that it's not going to happen. To be in contact with you will only give her false hope. So I think it's best that we part ways."

Again, his words sounded rehearsed. As though he had practiced beforehand. Had he planned to tell her this all this time?

With wobbly legs, she walked over to a nearby bench and sat heavily on it. She didn't think she could keep standing any longer, and she could feel tears begin to sting her eyes. "Don't do this, Ben. Please. We can work this out."

"I'm thinking about the long-term, Rey. And so should you," he said coldly. Like a manager reprimanding a subordinate. "We both need to consider Hannah's best interest here. It's only going to hurt her even more in the long run if we drag this out. It's best to end it right now."

Rey clamped a hand over her mouth but there was no stopping the sobs once they escaped her throat. No stopping the tears running down her cheeks. "Ben, please. Please don't take Hannah away from me. Please don't…please don't leave me."

That last part was a desperate plea that had just bubbled out of her. She was trying to hold on to him, to Hannah, but it seemed like she was only grabbing at air.

"Goodbye, Rey."

"Ben, wait-"

The call ended. Rey stared at the blank screen of her phone for almost a full minute before she gave herself up to tears, her cries echoing through the emptiness of the locker room.

* * *

Ben turned off his phone and slumped back in the office chair in his study. He'd done it. He'd cut her off from his and Hannah's lives, and except for that one moment when he wasn't able to utter a word, he'd done it as he had practiced.

He leaned on his desk and buried his face in his hands. He'd done it, but he didn't think it would hurt as much as it did. Didn't think hearing Rey cry would gut him like this. But this pain, no matter how bad it was, would be temporary, he thought. He would be able to move on. He would find someone else just like she had.

There was a knock on the door. Mother had left for her house hours ago, which meant it could only be Hannah.

He straightened himself. "Come in, Sweetheart."

Hannah opened the door and peered inside. "Daddy, has Rey called yet? I tried calling her phone but it just goes to voicemail."

Ben felt his heart constrict at that, but he managed to keep a straight face as he gestured for Hannah to come closer. Once she was right beside him, he lifted her up to sit sideways on his lap. "Sweetheart, you're a big girl now, right?"

"Yes, Daddy." Hannah beamed proudly. Ben had never hated himself more, but he had to do this.

"And big girls are brave."

"Yes, I'm brave."

"Good. Because I'm going to tell you something that's going to hurt, but it's for your own good."

"Okay Daddy."

He shut his eyes for a moment, lips clamped before he took in a breath and said, "Sweetheart...we can't have Rey in our lives anymore."

He watched his daughter blink up at him, her whole body seeming to freeze. "W-What do you mean?"

He grimaced. She sounded so much like her mother, it was excruciating. "I'm saying we can't talk to Rey anymore. No calling, no texting, no contact. We-"

"Why?" Hannah interrupted.

"Because it's not going to work out between us," he explained as gently as he could, even as his voice began to falter. "Look. I know you want Rey and I to be together, but it's not going to happen. And I don't want you to continue hoping we would."

"But...but…" Hannah trailed off, her face falling and her shoulders shaking. Her eyes, so much like her mother's, was beginning to grow red and glassy.

"It's for the best," he said, doing his best to speak steadily. "I know it hurts right now, but I'm just trying to protect you from future heartbreak."

"Rey's my mommy!" Hannah insisted, fists forming on her skirt. Her voice was shrill, and Ben knew he had to do some kind of damage control.

"Sweetheart, I promise you, one day, you'll have another mommy."

She shook her head, dark waves moving from side to side as she did. "No! I want Rey to be my mommy!"

"I'm sorry." He moved to pull her into an embrace, but she quickly pushed herself off him and ran out of the office, her cries following in her wake.

Ben leaned heavily against his chair, closing his eyes as he ran a hand across his scalp. He had just broken two hearts that day, and those were the hearts of two people he loved deeply. He felt wretched, but he knew he had to stand firm with his decision.

"It's for the best," he repeated to himself like a mantra, hoping it would ease the guilt and pain he was feeling.

It didn't.


	20. Chapter 20

Sunlight poured in from the sole window in Rey's room, and she pulled her covers up to her head to shield herself from the brightness. Her eyes were still stinging from all the crying she had done.

It had been two days since Ben's call. Two days since he broke her heart and shattered it into a million pieces. Everything he had told her, the coldness of how he addressed her had devastated her so much, she hadn't been able to muster calling him, or calling Hannah behind his back. If she did that, she might just burst into tears and things would get even worse between her and Ben. She couldn't bring Hannah into this, although she was pretty sure Ben must've told her something by now.

She curled up into a ball and tried to keep the tears at bay. She would stay in bed for the entire day if she could. It was Saturday after all, and she found herself sobbing again. If it were any other weekend, she would have gone to Coruscant to visit Hannah and Ben. Or they would've come to visit her in Jakku. Neither was going to happen and it hurt so much that she was having a hard time breathing.

Once she had calmed down, she dragged herself out of bed and into the kitchen to have breakfast. She hadn't been eating well, but knew she had to. She had almost collapsed at work yesterday when she skipped breakfast, and word quickly got around, no thanks to Tallie Lintra, the scrapyard's gossipmonger. Word had even reached Plutt, and she had to endure his fake show of concern. He had then had the audacity to try and rope her into having lunch with him alone, but thankfully, his secretary Erin was quick to offer her some sandwiches so she was able to leave quickly.

Wrapping her robe tightly around herself, she put the frying pan on the stove, watching the oil sizzle before cracking an egg and frying some bacon strips along with it. She felt like she was on autopilot. She barely remembered making toast, and the next thing she knew, she was sitting at the table, staring at the fried egg atop the toasted bread, strips of crispy but burnt bacon beside it. She remembered the first breakfast she ever made for Hannah and Ben. They had toast and bacon then too, and Hannah liked jam on her bread while Ben preferred his with butter. She remembered when he joked around her, when he first came up with their complimenting game. She remembered Hannah being a chatterbox, laughing and smiling as she stared lovingly at her parents. Even back then, her daughter had wanted her to be with her father. She knew that now. If things had been different...maybe if she had been able to sort out her feelings quickly…

She slammed both fists on the table, causing the plate to jiggle before she stood up, grabbed her phone and dialed Finn's number. It was unlikely now that she and Ben would be together, but goddammit, she was going to find a way to at least be in touch with Hannah.

Finn answered after a few rings. "Peanut! I've been waiting for your call. Any updates on you and Ben?"

Rey nearly choked. He sounded so enthusiastic. So happy for her, that she was unable to stop herself from crying.

Finn's tone quickly changed to worry. "It's okay, Rey. We're here. Poe and I are both here."

She continued to sob, wishing that Finn and Poe were with her that very moment. She had been dealing with her burdens alone for so long but this was one burden that, for the first time in years, she felt she couldn't bear alone.

Somewhere in the background, Poe asked, "What happened?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Finn said. "Peanut, I'm going to put you on speaker so Poe can hear, okay?"

She nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see, and when she heard Finn confirm that she was on speaker, she managed to stop sobbing. "Finn...Ben has cut ties with me."

"He what?"

"He cut ties with me," she repeated. "He told me I can't talk to him or Hannah anymore."

Rey could imagine the shock on Finn's face as he said, "But...but didn't he say he loves you?"

"I don't know what happened." She shook her head as she tried to fight the onslaught of fresh tears. "He called me two days ago and I was about to tell him how I felt but then he...he suddenly said I can't be in their lives anymore."

"Did he tell you why?"

"He told me he was doing it for Hannah. That I can't be there for her because of the distance and that he doesn't want her to hope that we would be together. And now, he's forbidding me from contacting him or Hannah." Another sob threatened to escape her throat but she managed to swallow it down.

"But you're Hannah's mother," Finn said, flabbergasted. "He can't do that."

"He can," Rey refuted sadly. "I'm not legally Hannah's mother. I have no parental rights over her."

She heard Poe say, "Maybe you still do."

"Yes, maybe." She squared her shoulders and sniffled. "That's why I needed to talk to both of you, especially you, Poe. I remember Finn mentioning you have a lawyer friend who used to be the best family lawyer in the country. You think it's possible for me to be able to consult with him? I can't pay much, but-"

"Actually, my friend is a she," Poe corrected. "She's a senator now, but she owes me a favor. I'm sure you can consult her pro bono."

"That's great. But I would feel bad not compensating her for her time."

"Nah, it's fine," Poe reassured. "I can arrange for you two to meet. She's in Coruscant right now."

Her breath hitched. "I can't go there. That's where Ben is."

"You don't have to let him know you're there," Poe pointed out. "Coruscant is a big city. Anyway, I'll call her right now."

Rey heard footsteps fading and a muffled conversation. Poe must be talking to his lawyer friend.

"Rey, it's going to be fine, alright?" Finn said. "Even if things didn't work out with Ben, you might still be allowed contact with Hannah."

"Okay." She nodded. She didn't want to hope, but here she was, hoping. Not being able to talk to Ben hurt far more than she ever thought possible, but it hurt even more not to be able to talk to her daughter.

About a minute later, Poe came back to the phone. "Alright, she agreed. She's free to meet at lunch today."

Rey's eyes widened. "Lunch? _Today_?"

"Yes, today. I'll text you the address of the restaurant as well as her contact information. You think you can make it?"

"Yes. I'll go," Rey was quick to say. This wasn't part of her plans for the day, but she was willing to do anything, absolutely anything for even a sliver of a chance to be with her daughter again.

"You want us to come with you?" Finn offered.

Rey shook her head. "No, I can go on my own. Besides, D'Qar is too far. I don't want to bother you guys."

She could almost hear Finn nod. "I think you better get ready. Coruscant is three hours away. We can't have her waiting."

"Alright. Thank you Poe, thank you Finn. I'll let you know what happens." She quickly said her goodbyes and started for her room to change when her message notification dinged. It was from Poe.

Name: Leia Organa  
Phone Number: 202-555-0149  
Address: Commensale di Destro  
Table 5  
3935 Slan Street  
Central Square, Coruscant City

Rey froze when she saw the text. The name Leia Organa was familiar, though she couldn't point a finger on where she had heard that name. But what caught her attention the most was the restaurant, and her heart broke anew. It was the same restaurant where she, Ben and Hannah had dinner after watching Wicked. The same restaurant where she and Ben had sung "I Finally Found Someone". Those were happier times that would never happen again, but she was determined to scavenge whatever scraps were left of her relationship with the Solo family.

* * *

Leia Organa stepped out of the Bentley as Artoo held the door out for her. She looked up at the sign and smiled. Comensale di Destro was her and Han's favorite restaurant. Even though he had since passed on, she made it a point to eat at this restaurant from time to time, and after months away from home, it was good to be back.

She hadn't planned on going to the restaurant at lunch today though, but she owed Poe Dameron a favor. His work for her as a lobbyist had helped her greatly in her career, and so a little legal consultation for his friend was the least she could do.

She stepped inside, and the maitre d' quickly greeted her. "Ms. Organa, welcome back. We've missed you."

Leia beamed. The staff always did treat her well. "Same table as always, Ricardo."

"Of course. Although, your guest has arrived ahead of you. She's at your table right now." The maitre d' led her to the table, where she found a pretty young woman, looking around nervously. She was dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, which told Leia that any consultation this young lady wanted, it wasn't about any business venture. This felt more personal.

When the young woman saw her, she quickly stood up. "Senator Organa?"

"Please, dear, call me Leia." She held out her hand, and the woman took it. The handshake was a little on the limp side, and the girl was trembling. Poor thing. Must be from the cold. "And you are?"

"Reyline Kenobi, ma'am. You can call me Rey."

Leia raised her eyebrows. She shared the same name as the woman who broke Ben's heart. And the name Kenobi… "Rey Kenobi. Your name sounds so familiar. Have we met?"

Rey shook her head. "I don't think we have, ma'am."

"Oh. Well. I meet so many people, I must be mixing them up in my head." Leia wasn't so sure about that. She was certain she heard of that name somewhere. Nonetheless, she gestured to the chair. "Please dear, take a seat. Now, can you tell me what's troubling you?"

"I...I have a daughter." Rey bit at her trembling bottom lip and let out a shaky breath. "Her father has forbidden me to contact her and I was wondering if I have any legal claim to her."

"You're her mother, aren't you? You have parental rights."

"It's not that simple. You see...I relinquished my rights to her before she was born."

Leia tilted her head. This was...different. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm the egg donor which resulted in my daughter," Rey explained. "And I signed an agreement to relinquish parental rights towards any children that result from my eggs being used."

"I see." Leia nodded. She wasn't really one to enjoy giving people bad news, but it was part of her job. "Under these circumstances, you don't have any rights. You have to make an appeal to her father and make it work between the two of you. Only he can give you parental rights."

Rey's shoulders slumped inwards. She looked crestfallen. "The father and I had a falling out so I don't think that would be possible."

"You are friends with the father?"

"We used to be."

Leia's lips flattened into a fine line. Mother to mother, she could feel the girl's pain. She may not have been close to Ben growing up, but she would be distraught at the prospect of anyone taking her son away from her. "Can you tell me more about your circumstances?"

Rey forced out a smile. "I'm not sure where to start."

"Start from the very beginning. Like how you became an egg donor and we'll work from there."

Rey nodded and started talking. Leia listened as she told her about being an egg donor and the reasons why she did it. This impressed Leia, that Rey would do anything to save her dying grandfather. She continued to listen with rapt attention on how Rey had met her daughter after the girl had run away to see her, and how she had been in a close relationship with her daughter and the girl's father for the past four months up until a few days ago, when her daughter's father suddenly told her he was cutting ties.

Leia grew stock still, her heart beating so fast she was almost breathless. She wondered how on earth she didn't put two and two together when she should've known the first moment this young woman told her her name.

She held up a hand to stop Rey from talking. "Wait. Your daughter. Is her name...Hannah Padme Solo?"

"Yes, ma'am. How do you know that?"

"And her father?"

"Benjamin Solo, ma'am."

"Oh my God," Leia said softly and put a hand against her chest. She felt a little faint.

Rey looked at her worriedly. "Ma'am? Do you know Hannah and Ben?"

"Yes, I know them." She nodded. "They're my granddaughter and my son."

* * *

Ben turned to his side to look at Hannah, who had her head propped up on the table by one hand while the other toyed with her food. The dining room was silent as neither of them seemed too keen on talking, especially Hannah.

It would've been better if Mother was here, he thought. At least she could bring in some conversation to break the ice. But she was off having lunch with someone who needed legal consultation and probably won't be back until much later. Meanwhile, he had to be the one to keep an eye on Hannah. She was, after all, at risk of running away again.

He turned back to his food. He had done everything he could to ensure Hannah didn't run off. He had applied strict parental controls over her phone so she wouldn't be able to get in touch with Rey; took hours off of work to drive her to and from school and constantly checked if she was still in her room. It had worked so far, though how long he had to do this, he wasn't sure. The last time he and Hannah had a falling out was when she had overheard him yelling at his father that he never wanted her, and it had taken her almost a year to fully forgive him for that. He shuddered to think his daughter would stay angry for that long or more, and he swore he was going to find a way to properly apologize to her. None of his attempts were working; not his words, not the gifts...or rather peace offerings...of candies and toys. Not even the promise of taking her to the park or the fair, or taking her shopping. She was as stubborn as her mother, and he felt a twinge in his heart at the thought of Rey. If things hadn't turned out the way they did, she would still be visiting them for the weekend…

Hannah put her spoon and fork down noisily on her half-full plate, shaking Ben from his thoughts. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"You sure, Sweetheart?" he asked gently. "You haven't been eating well. You might get sick."

She made a face and pushed her plate away. "Not hungry."

Ben's jaw tightened. She was being bratty, and it was beginning to grate at his nerves.

He pushed the plate back in front of her, and in a stern voice, said, "Finish your food, young lady. And you're not to leave the table until you've eaten every single morsel."

Hannah glared at her food before scarfing down what's left of her baked beans and sausage. She even lifted the plate to her face so she could lick it clean, much to Ben's chagrin.

She put the plate back on the table, indeed clean of every last morsel, and asked to be excused. Ben slumped his shoulders in defeat and let her go.

Once she had left, he took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. He wanted to discipline her for her behavior, but at the same time, he knew he had no one but himself to blame. The wounds were still too raw, not just for Hannah, but for him as well, and probably for Rey too. He wondered if the pain would eventually disappear, or if it ever would.

After putting the empty plates in the dishwasher, he walked to his study so he could work on some reports. In truth, he could do this in his actual office on a workday, but work was the only thing distracting him from everything happening in his life right now. If he didn't, he would be lost in thought again, and his heart would break once more at the memory of Rey crying over the phone, begging him not to leave her. But why would it matter to her if he left? She had Tommy. He meant nothing to her. He was just a friend that could easily be discarded. People lost friends all the time.

Only, he didn't think of her as just a friend. He had loved her. Fuck, he still loved her. He loved how she engaged him in stimulating conversations. Loved her humor, her caring, nurturing nature. Her gentleness and determination, her diligence and her strength through everything she had gone through in life. She was the strongest woman he knew, so he was confident she would get past this. After all, she was no longer alone. She had that Tommy guy.

As for him, he didn't know if he would ever be over her. She was unlike any woman he had ever encountered in his life. He had never been one to put people on pedestals. As his parents had taught him, that way led to disappointment. But put her on a pedestal he did, and he couldn't see himself bringing her down from that no matter how much she had unknowingly hurt him. Every other woman who would come into his life in the future would be compared to her and the connection he had with her. This was a once in a lifetime thing, and he had ruined it.

Not for the first time, he wondered if he had been too rash in his decision to cut her off. Maybe he should have talked to her first, but how? Should he have told her that he had seen her kissing her ex? Or maybe be more subtle and ask her if she had any visitors that night? It didn't matter, he thought sadly. What was done was done. There was no taking it back. The only way now was to move forward.

He growled at himself. Here he was, getting carried away with his thoughts again. With a sigh, he turned to his laptop and started typing, when he heard knocks from his office door.

"Hannah?" he called.

"No, Son. It's me."

"Mother." He stood up and straightened his sweater as well as the collar of the shirt underneath it. Can't have her see the wrinkles. She always noticed those things. "Please come in."

Mother let herself in, and the smile on Ben's face faded when he saw her stern expression. "Ben, I have someone here who wishes to speak to you."

He tilted his head. "Who?"

Instead of answering, she stepped back and called, "You can come in now, dear."

Slowly, a young woman stepped inside the office, and Ben's knees nearly buckled from beneath him when he saw it was none other than Rey. She was under dressed for the climate, and there were bags under her red-rimmed eyes. Still, she was stone-faced as she looked him dead in the eye, and God help him, he still found her beautiful.

He turned to his mother, his tone hard as he said, "Mother, what have you done?"

"I'll explain everything at a later time," she said, her voice just as austere. "The point is, you and Rey need to talk out whatever issues you have with each other. Hannah doesn't know she's here yet, and unless you two sort things out, I'd prefer she not know, otherwise she'll just end up crying again."

He glowered at his mother, trying his best not to look at Rey. "I thought I made my stance perfectly clear about her being in our lives."

"And you've made yourself and your daughter miserable because of it. I'm not going to stand by and watch my granddaughter become unhappy because of some misunderstanding between you two." Mother let out a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Now, you two talk about this like adults. I'm going to take Hannah to the playground. And once you're done talking, give me a call so I can decide if it's safe for Hannah to come back."

Mother pivoted and marched out of the room, slamming the door on her way out. Ben winced and finally turned to look at Rey. It seemed like his mother wasn't the only one angry with him at the moment.

He scrambled for words. Should he tell her he had nothing to say to her? Ask her why she even bothered to come here when he had made his decision perfectly clear? Demand that she explain why she brought his mother into this? That last thought gave him a pause, and he finally asked, "Were you the one my mother was meeting for legal advice?"

"Yes," Rey spoke for the first time, her voice flat. "Apparently, she and I have a common friend. Poe Dameron."

"One of Mother's lobbyists?" His lips flattened. He remembered his mother speaking of Dameron. She had praised him often enough that he had gotten jealous at one point. "So...he and your friend Poe are the same person?"

"Yes." Rey's voice took on a sharper edge. "My gay friend Poe, who happens to be married to my gay friend Finn, who you saw me 'kissing' on the porch."

Ben felt the color drain away from his face. He was so certain he had seen Rey kissing a man intimately, but now… "So...that wasn't Tommy?"

"God, no!" She looked horrified. "Why would I get back with the guy who dumped me because he couldn't stand being second to my grandfather? And I wasn't kissing Finn. At least not on the lips. And yeah, your mother told me everything. About you going to Jakku and why."

The color returned to Ben's face until his cheeks grew hot. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out.

Rey stared at him, perhaps daring him to speak. Even with their height difference, he felt small under the heat of her gaze.

After what seemed like forever, she sighed. "Is this what this is all about? Because you thought I had a boyfriend?"

He swallowed and looked down at his shoes as words continued to fail him. He had never been more embarrassed in his whole life, not to mention guilty. If he could shrink and disappear, he would.

"I told you I didn't have a boyfriend," she said, her voice softer now. "Do you really have so little trust in me?"

"It's not that I don't," Ben spoke, nearly stumbling on his words. "I was just so hurt. I really thought you were kissing some guy."

"And so you decided to hurt me back by cutting ties with me?" Rey asked. She sounded pained. "By taking yourself and Hannah away from me?"

He shook his head. That wasn't his intention at all, but he could see why she would think that. "I know it must look that way to you, but I honestly only had Hannah's best interests in mind. She can't have an absentee mother. And I don't want her to continue hoping for us to be together after you had already rejected me during camping in the desert and-"

"I didn't reject you," Rey cut in, which made Ben look up at her. She looked a bit shocked by her own words, eyes wide and lips partially open.

"You didn't?" he asked in disbelief.

"No, I didn't," she admitted, then looked away. "I just...didn't know how to respond to your confession. I have very little experience when it comes to relationships. Tommy was the only boyfriend I ever had and he couldn't deal with the fact that my priorities had changed."

"I would have," Ben blurted out.

"Would have what?"

"I would have been able to deal with your changing priorities."

"Maybe." She shrugged, tapping her foot for a bit. Then, for the first time that day, she smiled, and Ben felt his whole body grow warm from the glow. "But if you had been in my life back then, you would have been charged for dating a minor."

He knew he shouldn't be laughing at that, but a chuckle managed to escape from him. Rey was chuckling too, and he felt the tension in the air dissipate until he was able to breathe easier. He liked this. Sharing a bit of levity with her. It felt right.

Then, Rey's expression darkened again, putting him on edge. "Besides, if you really are able to deal, don't you think you'd be able to deal better with me possibly having a boyfriend? You have to admit, it was pretty shitty of you to try and take Hannah away."

"You're right, it was shitty," he agreed. "But really, I was only thinking about Hannah's well-being."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. " _Only_ Hannah's well-being?"

He sighed and looked down again. "Alright. I confess that seeing you...thinking you were kissing someone else...it just fucking hurt so much that I didn't think things through. I know now that I came off as really selfish. I shouldn't have tried to keep you away from Hannah. I shouldn't have been so rash with my decisions. I should've talked to you first." Tightening his lips, he looked up at her again, and in the most sincere voice he could muster, said, "I'm really sorry, Rey. For hurting you. For hurting Hannah."

She gave a short nod. "I'm sorry too. For not handling your...confession very well. Maybe if I hadn't deliberately ignored you after that...maybe if I had just talked to you, we could've avoided all this. I suppose I was scared that if I confronted it, our friendship would be ruined."

Ben nodded, unsure what to say next. But if she didn't want to ruin their friendship...then, he was willing to make the sacrifice. "Rey, can we be...friends again? You know. Start over."

He waited for her to answer, but she didn't. Not for a long while. She didn't even look at him as she swayed on the balls of her feet. She was going to reject him again, he thought, and braced himself. But she surprised him when she asked, "Did you mean it though? That you...love me?"

His heart lurched to his throat, and he swallowed hard. He hadn't expected that, but this time, he did manage to cobble up enough sense to say, "Y-yes. I...I meant it. Every word of it."

"Like did you mean that you love me as a friend?" Rey pursued. "Or…"

"More than a friend." Mustering as much courage as he could, Ben straightened himself and said, "I'm in love with you, Rey."

There. He had said it. It still probably wasn't the best confession in the world, and definitely not under the best circumstances, but it was a helluva lot better than his last confession, and the heaviness he had been carrying for days suddenly lifted from his shoulders.

He kept his gaze steady on her. Watched as her throat bobbed and her cheeks flushed with color. She looked so goddamn beautiful, he just wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her. Still, he steeled himself for rejection. After all, it was what he deserved for all the hurt he had caused her.

"Why?" Rey asked, finally meeting his eyes. "Why me?"

"Because you're _you_." He walked around his desk until he was standing within an arm's length of her. He could just reach out and hold her but he kept his hands in his pockets. She seemed ready to run away, but he soldiered on. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are? How smart, funny, caring...you're just beautiful inside and out. And I know now that you should have someone far better than me. But God help me if I don't want to strive to better myself to deserve you."

Her cheeks colored again, and her eyes were wide, throat bobbing with another swallow..

After several moments of silence, he let out a nervous chuckle. "Now would be the best time to say something."

"What do you want me to say?" she asked, sounding every bit as anxious as he felt.

"Say what's in your heart," he said softly. "Tell me how you truly feel. If you do or don't feel the same way. And I'll accept it no matter what."

Her lower lip trembled. "Ben…it's not that I don't have feelings for you-"

"Wait," Ben felt his heart pound. Did he hear her right? "So you _do_ have _feelings_ for me?"

"I...I do." She seemed surprised at herself for finally admitting it, and he felt his heart soar. "You're a great guy, Ben. You make me laugh. You really listen and you're genuine. I've never...had this kind of connection with anyone. Not even with Tommy. It's scary."

"I'm scared too," he admitted. "I know you said before that love can ruin friendships and that's the reason why I've bottled it up for so long. I guess I should've known I would eventually...explode."

Rey laughed. "Well...your confession was explosive. You caught me completely off guard."

"Doesn't mean I don't mean it. Because I do."

Their eyes met again, and a well of feeling spread across his chest at the way she was looking back at him. There was warmth there. Softness. She had never looked at him that way before.

"So...what now?" she asked.

"I...don't know," Ben said unsurely, but his certainty on one matter was clear. "I know what _I_ want but the question is what do _you_ want?"

She started chewing on her lip again. Nervous. "I mean, if it were up to you. What would you want to happen?"

"I want to take the next step," he said in a steady voice, though deep down he was shaking. He'd never felt so vulnerable in his life. He was baring himself to her; risking another heartache, but screw it, she was worth it. "Of course, it's entirely up to you. If all you want is friendship, then I am ready to accept that."

"And...if I want more than friendship?" she asked hesitantly, her words making it hard for him to breathe.

"Then...if that's the case…" He took a moment to compose himself before continuing. "If that's what you want, then I'm never letting you go."

Rey's breath hitched, and he stared deeply into her eyes, which were now beginning to grow misty. His hands, still in his pockets, clenched into fists as he tried his best to remain standing, even though his knees threatened to give away.

The silence, thick and heavy, stretched on between them, so much so that the ticking of the clock seemed to echo inside the study. But this time, he would wait. He would wait for her to say something rather than prod it out of her.

Finally, she said, "And what about the distance? If you don't think I could be Hannah's mother because of it, what makes you think a long distance relationship between us would work?"

He could see and hear her anguish, his mind racing back to the horrible things he had told her over the phone. Guilt ate away at him again, and if he could take back everything he had said to her then, he would.

"Rey, I'm so sorry I said all those things," he apologized. "I didn't mean any of it. You made it work. And that's the truth. You're a wonderful mother and I should never have even put that into question."

"And if we become a couple and then break up?" she challenged. "What's to stop you from keeping me from seeing Hannah again?"

Her mistrust stung, but he should have anticipated it. He must've really broken her, regret seeping into his every pore. "I understand why you feel that way. But I can give you my word that this time, no matter what happens, if we have a falling out or if we find other people, that I won't take Hannah away from you. Not anymore."

Rey stared at him then, as though trying to gauge if she could still trust him or not, and he kept his eyes on her, barely blinking until she asked, "Do you promise?"

"I promise," he said solemnly, and that seemed enough for Rey, her tense shoulders relaxing.

"You better keep your promise, Benjamin Solo. Or else I'm getting a lawyer." She grinned, mischief in her eyes as she added, "Oh wait, we have your mother."

Ben burst out laughing, not just from finding her threat genuinely amusing, but from sheer relief. It felt so good to have her joke around him again. "You know, this is one of the things I love about you. Your sense of humor."

He gave her a meaningful stare, and she turned a deep shade of pink. She looked absolutely adorable.

"I love you, Rey," he said, his voice barely above a whisper as he struggled to reign in his emotions. "I really do. And I'm willing to work hard to be better. For you."

Rey lowered her eyes as a small smile formed on her lips. "I...I like you, Ben. A lot more than I should. And I...I want to...I _do_ want to be with you." She paused, no longer smiling as she bit her lip. Ben was barely breathing. "But I think you know by now how I am with change. And this...this is a big change. I like my routine. I like the dynamic I have with you and with Hannah. And I'm not sure I have it in me to step out of that."

Ben felt his shoulders sag. For all of Rey's positive traits, she was also as flawed as any human being could be. Her insistence on hanging onto what she knew and never changing was holding her back.

He chose his words carefully. "I understand why you would want to cling onto what you know. Believe me, I know how scary it can be to step out of your comfort zone. But change is the only constant in this world. You have to learn to let go of the past. It's the only way for you to move forward."

"That's the thing. I can't." She shook her head. "I've lived this way for almost ten years and I can't change it. I don't have the strength to."

"You do," he insisted, his tone gentle but encouraging. "If you were able to change your routine to include me and Hannah, then maybe you can give you and me a chance at this. Yes, it's a big change, which is why we'll take it one day at a time. Baby steps. And if it's any consolation, we can go back to the way things were if it doesn't pan out."

"That's another thing," she pointed out. "My last relationship didn't end well, and with the distance between us...what if this one doesn't work either?"

"We can make it work," he said. He knew he was repeating the same thing he had told her in the desert, but the situation couldn't be more different. Rey had admitted to wanting to be with him, and it was giving him more confidence. "There are a lot of long distance couples who made it work because they kept communication lines open. We already have that."

"I know, but I don't want this to fail." She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm so scared that it would because...this is _you_ , Ben. You're not just any guy. You...you mean a lot to me and if it doesn't work out, I'd be devastated. I didn't even cry at all when Tommy ended our relationship, but with you...I'm not sure my heart can take it."

That rendered him speechless. She may not have articulated in so many words that she loved him back, but this...it was greater than those three words. She did feel deeply for him; so much so that the prospect of them not working out frightened her.

He cleared his throat. "Rey...you know how I was with my previous relationships, if you could even call it that. But you have no idea how badly I want this to work. I love you so much that if it doesn't work out, I'd be devastated too. But I'd rather take my chances, than regret not taking them at all."

"You know I can't leave Jakku, right?" she reminded, and that brought Ben a dose of reality. No. She couldn't...wouldn't leave her home. Perhaps not even for him. That one truth was a hard pill to swallow, but if one of his father's last pieces of advice was anything to go by, it was that relationships require compromise and sacrifice.

"Then...we will continue to visit and call each other," he offered, though deep down, he still hoped that once she had settled all her financial responsibilities, she would reconsider moving to Coruscant. "There are couples out there who only see each other once every few months. We can see each other every weekend."

"And what about Hannah?" she pointed out. "If it doesn't end well between us, it would hurt her. We can't be selfish. We have to think about her too."

"Yes, we do," he agreed. "Which is why we will make her understand that no matter what happens, we will continue to co-parent her. That she will always have you in her life just as you will always have her in your life. I'll make sure of that."

Rey nodded, then in a small voice, asked, "I'll still have you in my life too...right?"

Ben was unable to stop the small smile dancing on his lips. "You will for as long as you'll have me."

They fell quiet again as they stared at each other, neither moving a muscle except to breathe. Ben held her gaze, his throat constricting when her lips and shoulder trembled.

Then, he felt the breath knocked out of him and a tightness around his body. It took a few moments for him to realize that Rey had thrown herself at him, her arms tight around him.

He quickly held her, tucking her head beneath his chin and reveling in the warmth of her. He still couldn't believe it. He had been ready for an unpleasant confrontation when she first stepped into his office. Ready to receive her anger after he had turned her away. He could never have imagined that she would admit to having feelings for him, let alone be in his embrace like this.

They stayed that way for what seemed like forever. Could she feel his heart beating? He hoped she could. He hoped she realized how much this gesture meant to him because God, he had missed having her in his arms. All the other times had been brief, friendly hugs (except for that one afternoon in the pool) but this time...this time he liked to think it was different. That they shared more than just relief at having overcome a major hurdle together.

He buried his face in her hair like he had always wanted to, eyes closed as he took in a breath. In that moment, he swore he would do everything in his power not to hurt her again. That he would do anything and everything to make her happy, because it was what she deserved.

After a time, Rey pulled back, though she kept her arms loose around him. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, and he reached out to wipe them away with his thumbs, his hands framing her face as he did so.

His smile disappeared when he found himself staring at her lips, heart hammering against his rib cage when Rey in turn stared at his lips. He dipped his head a little closer, but her eyes widened and she turned away.

"S-Sorry," she stammered, pulling away and tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm...I'm not yet ready. I...I want to take things slow. Baby steps."

"Of course." He nodded, managing to hide his disappointment. But really, this was worlds better than he could ever have hoped for. "I'll give you as much time as you need."

"Thank you." She looked up at him and smiled. Then, to his surprise, she pulled him down by the lapel of his sweater and planted a kiss on his cheek. She finished with a loud smack and let him go. "You should call your mother. I'd love to see Hannah again."

"Uhm...y-yeah. S-sure," he stuttered, still reeling from the unexpected kiss. That wasn't just a friendly kiss, and the way Rey was looking at him seemed to confirm that. He smiled awkwardly at her, then grabbed his phone to call his mother but stopped short of pressing the call button. "You know what? How about we go to the playground and surprise Hannah?"

Rey's face brightened. "That would be wonderful."

He beamed. "What are we waiting for? Let's go get our daughter."

 _Our_ daughter. That felt good to say. Hannah was as much his as he was hers. He didn't want to be too cocky, but he was starting to believe they were one step closer to becoming the family he had always wanted. The family _Rey_ needed. He knew he and Hannah could never fill the void left by her grandfather, but if she could find room in her heart for them, then they would be able to make her world brighter.

He led her out of his office, opening the door for her before trotting to walk by her side. That was when he noticed her hugging herself and rubbing her arms. She wasn't dressed for the chill.

He stopped her when they reached the living room. "Hold on. Let me get you a sweater."

He hurried up his room, practically running and grabbing a black sweater from his closet before heading back to where Rey waited by the main door.

He handed her the sweater. "It's a little big, but I don't want you to get cold."

"Thanks, Ben." She smiled and put it on. It was indeed much too big, and she had to roll up the sleeves just to get her hands out.

He chuckled. "Are you wearing the sweater or is the sweater wearing you?"

"Haha, very funny," Rey replied sarcastically, then gave him a playful push on the shoulder. "Not all of us are built like a Mack truck you know. Anyway, let's go get Hannah."

Still smiling, he once again held out the door for her and walked with her down the sidewalk, shortening his strides so she could keep up with him. The playground was just a few blocks away, and he took the time to catch up with what he had missed with Rey, though he knew nothing much would surprise him. She did pretty much have the same routine she had always had since before they even met.

However, he knew they'd had an unusual, if not stressful week because of all the misunderstandings between them. He apologized again for the call. "To be honest, I was expecting you to be a lot angrier with me. I expected you to yell at me after everything I said and did, but you didn't."

"I _was_ angry," Rey admitted, giving him a tight smile. "I felt that I had lost you, and that I only had Hannah left. I was ready to fight you for the chance to see her again, but Leia managed to calm me down after she told me your side of the story." Her smile widened and her eyes twinkled. "She also showed me your cute baby pics."

He stopped walking. "What baby pics?"

Rey only laughed and walked faster, and he had to catch up. "Rey, which baby pictures did she show you?"

"There's the playground now!" She pointed and jogged. Ben lengthened his strides until he kept up with her, and while there were other kids playing, his eyes zeroed in on Hannah, her grandmother standing close by as she played on the swing. Rey apparently saw her too, because she quickly waved and yelled, "Hannah!"

Hannah stopped swinging, and Ben saw her eyes widen as they moved closer. She got off the swing and ran towards Rey, jumping up into her mother's arms. "Rey! You're here! You're here!"

"Yes, Sweetie, I am," Rey cooed, lifting the girl up and hugging her tight. "You're daddy and I are okay now."

"Really?" Hannah pulled her head back, looking from one parent to the other. "But I thought Daddy didn't want us to talk to you or see you anymore."

"And I'm sorry about that, Sweetheart," Ben interjected, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of dark hair away from his daughter's face. "We're going to be fine now. From now on, things will be back to the way they were." Well...not _really_ back to the way they were. He and Rey had an understanding now, but it was something he would rather they kept to themselves for the moment. "I already apologized to Rey and she forgave me. Will you forgive me too?"

Hannah's answer was immediate. "Yes, Daddy. Just don't keep Rey away anymore, okay?"

"I promise," Ben vowed, and moved closer to plant a kiss on Hannah's forehead. The girl swiftly snaked one arm around his neck, pulling him closer until he was hugging both Hannah and Rey at the same time. _His little family._

He heard his mother clear her throat, and he pulled back from the embrace. He had forgotten she was still there, but she wasn't angry. In fact, she was beaming.

"I'm glad you two have settled your differences," Mother said, then turned to Rey. "My dear, why don't you and your daughter play on the swings for a bit? I'd like to talk to my son."

"Okay." Rey nodded, shifting Hannah's weight to her other arm. "Thank you so much, Leia. This wouldn't have been possible without you."

If Rey meant them reconciling, or them meeting in the first place, Ben wasn't sure. Either way, his mother was definitely instrumental to both.

Rey gave him one more meaningful smile before heading with Hannah to the swings. Ben continued to stare at her until his mother elbowed his side.

"So. You two patched things up, huh?"

"Yeah, we did. We talked it out and smoothed things over."

Mother narrowed her eyes at him, then smiled mischievously. "It looks like you two did more than just talking."

His brows knitted in confusion. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Now, don't play coy with me, Son," Mother teased, elbowing him in the ribs again. "She's wearing your sweater, is she not?"

Ben couldn't have turned red in the face any faster. "Mother!"

"Well?" She put her hands on her hips. "Did you or did you not-"

"No!" he denied with a vigorous shake to the head, though he managed to keep his voice low enough not to get Rey and Hannah's attention. They were both having fun on the swings. "I just lent her my sweater because she was cold. That's all."

"I see." Mother didn't even bother to hide her disappointment.

Ben rolled his eyes before he remembered something. "Rey told me you showed her my baby pictures. Which ones?"

Without a word, his mother took out her phone and showed him.

"Oh my God," he mumbled, sliding his palms up his face and bringing his glasses up to his forehead. "I can't believe you showed my girlfriend naked pictures of me!"

He froze at his own words. 'Girlfriend' had slipped so easily from his tongue that he hadn't had the chance to stop it. He was glad Rey didn't hear. Mother on the other hand, looked positively brimming with joy.

"She's your girlfriend now?"

"N-no. I mean, yes. I mean…" He tried to find a way to clarify the situation before finally settling on an explanation. "We're both going to take our relationship to the next level, but she wants to take it slow. So it's not official yet."

"Well then, you better make it official real soon." Mother jabbed his chest with her forefinger. "Or else it won't just be your baby back side I'll be showing Rey. I'm talking about full frontal nudity."

"Mother!"

"I'm just teasing, Ben." Mother laughed, taking his cold hand and patting it. "You better take care of this one. She's a keeper."

"I know." He sighed, his emotions finally settling, though his heart did race when he saw Rey look at him from across the playground and smile. "I can only hope that I'm deserving of her."

"You are." Mother tightened her grip on his hand. "Give yourself a little more credit, Ben. She wouldn't agree to take the next step if she didn't think you were worth it."

He let out a small smile. He and Rey still had a long way to go. This was just the beginning after all. They still had the distance between them and the fact that she was still shackled to her hometown, but as long as they worked on their relationship together, as long as they had Hannah and Mother's support, he was confident they would make it.


End file.
